Shadow of War
by TheMightyMorgoth
Summary: Chaos is not always apparent. Wars can be hidden. The darkness is a sanctuary for those shunned by the light. Hiding in his shadow is his army and Remnant will know what true war really is for the first time in nearly a century. He cares not for riches or fame. All he wants is glorious war.
1. Prologue

**The Shadow of War**

 **Hello, as some of you know, Orpheus has given me the responsibility of continuing this story as he's been struggling to work on other stories and deal with problems in the real world and work. So, I just wanted to let you guys know, I will try my hardest and do my best to bring forth the story that had gained the attention of many readers. And just to note, I have made a couple changes to some of the details compared to the original.**

 ***Update – 09/05/17**

 **Hey just wanted to let you all know, I'm still here and am writing the story, I've just hit a few road bumps in the creation process and have upcoming classes to attend as well. Nonetheless, Chapter III will be posted within the next month or so, hopefully within the fortnight. But getting to the point, the reason for this update is because looking it over, and getting some criticism from my colleagues, they've mentioned it would be best if I adjust the first chapter, shred down some of the unnecessaries, and make Naruto more into the version I wrote in the second chapter.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Chapter I: To Beacon**

The sun rose peacefully to the sound of chirping songbirds and shone its orange light on the autumnal leaves that painted the wizened oaks. The August breeze cooled the dawn in a calm serenity of balance and life. _Disgusting…_

The origin of that thought came from a teenage boy of what appeared to be fifteen years old with long, blonde hair to his upper-back in a ponytail tied with a white ribbon and intelligence shining behind his eyes - the right one was a deep, icy blue while the left one was reminiscent of an emerald - where a pair of pince-nez glasses sat. Adorned in a zipped up, snow-white jacket with gold lining as well as gloves, boots and a pair of white pants beneath a trench coat of the same color, lined with the same sun-golden color. A symbol was sewn into the trench coat's shoulders and the back, his Emblem. An upward facing crescent with two spikes lodged into it at forty-five degree angles and a third, shorter spike in the exact center pointing up at an eye that sat above the crescent, the entire symbol in jet black thread. Naruto Namikaze painted an interesting figure to say the least and held himself with the confidence of someone who _knew_ he was better than everyone else. It was an undeniable fact, after all.

From the window of his room he observed the activity, or rather lack of with a certain level of dissatisfaction and revulsion, drumming his fingers upon his desk to signal his indignation. A very apparent part of Naruto wished to see the streets emblazoned with banners and flags of his nation, uniformed soldiers marching in orderly formation, even singing military cadences as they advanced in lockstep.

Feeling a small pain in the back of his head, or rather his mind, another part of his conscience - one thought to have been buried deep in the vaults of his psyche - made itself known in the young man's thoughts. This part of Naruto, sought chaos in the form of brutal and unrelenting warfare, where the streets would flow red with crimson ichor, illuminated by the blaze of torchlight and the rising embers that followed.

There was a distinct lack of anxiety and fear. No fires. No chaos. There was no struggle for survival. It was stagnation. Stagnation was the opposite of evolution, the opposite of progress. Without the progress war and strife brought, how could humans possibly reach the next level of their forms?

The simplest answer is that they can't. If they stagnate, they will die. There was nothing simpler or more obvious in this world to young Naruto. Even the more orderly side of his mind understood that there needed to be some kind of change to initiate what he saw in his daydreams. It was for this reason - among others - that he had chosen to become a Huntsman. He threw himself into his studies, not bothering with the affairs other children his age might have. He had a mere handful of 'friends' at Sanctum and did not even bother to try and bond with his parents, his older sister or even his twin since his enrollment, particularly due to the distance.

His teachers even allowed him to take the graduation examinations a full two years earlier than usual thanks to his mentorship by a former huntsman turned blacksmith, and he would join Shiro at Beacon Academy. He had known that the entire summer and today, today was the day that they traveled by airship to the flying fortress of a school. Recently, he also found out something that annoyed him to no end.

His other sister also made it in early along with her scythe-wielding friend by stopping a robbery of one of the Dust shops. Tsuki was more skilled than the average student, surely, but to skip two grades off of one incident without all the hard work… the Headmaster certainly had strange ideas running through his head. Complaining brought no results however, so Tsuki and Ruby would just have to keep up with everyone else.

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a sensation of vibration run through his left side. Reaching into one of the pockets in the left side of his trench coat, he pulled out what appeared to be a white rod about eight inches in length and an inch in diameter. Stretching it apart, a holoscreen was revealed in between the two ends. A picture of two girls standing back to back could be seen on the screen as he did so.

The girl on the left had long, raven hair with two bangs framing her ivory face, a white flower in her hair on the left side just above her ear. Emerald green eyes with cyan eyeliner shone with mischief as she looked in what was presumably a camera when the picture was taken. She wore a strapless snow white dress with silver lining, cyan wings on the lower back, a bow on the bodice and a leather belt around her waist, two chains hanging off the front of it. On either hand she wore gloves that almost reached her elbows, her right glove equipped with a silver bracer while her right shoulder had a pad of the same material protecting it. Around her neck was wrapped a boa with a white and red feather. Her dress itself ended just before her knees with a a few layers of frills, a pair of knee-high heeled boots with red laces tying them.

On her right was a girl who was definitely her identical twin. She had a shorter hairstyle, the back barely touching her neck but with the same style of bangs framing her face as well as the same raven color. A foot-long red and white feather was placed in her hair, extending far behind her head. Her teal eyes had red eyeliner and a look of boredom as she looked expressionlessly into the camera. Around her neck was a black choker with a fur collar hanging off of her back. Her dress was also strapless, but red and black with a black bow around her waist before it ended at her knees. She also wore gloves, though hers were a deep crimson and only extended up to her wrists, black lace extending past their end. As for her knee-high heeled boots, they were red with white laces, black lace leggings extending past their pinnacle and up her dress, where they were lost from sight.

Looking at the holophone's screen, Naruto sighed but accepted the video call with a touch of the screen. "This is Naruto. What do you want?" Through the screen, he could see the two twins that were pictured in the exact same outfits from the picture. In the background, he noted the dance club their mutual employer owned, only in a much worse state than he remembered. "What happened to the club?"

The one in red looked behind her back before sighing. "You tell him Melanie…" She did not sound happy, though her tone was still bored.

"Fine, Miltia…" The girl in white, Melanie, shrugged. "There was these two girls that came here for Junior and they ended up fighting everyone in the club when he didn't have an answer they liked. We fought them too… but they were, like, really strong." Her voice had a distinctive sound of a high-class, spoiled teenage girl.

Naruto thought a moment before sighing. "Were these girls both about the same height, one weari-"

"Dammit you two, give me the scroll!" A rather aggravated man yelled out, causing the twins to grimace in worry. 

"Sorry Junior," Melanie said quickly, losing the spoiled tone in her voice almost instantaneously. "Naruto's on the other line."

"Yeah, no shit. I'm the one who told you two to call him." Movement flashed across the screen as the device was given to another person, revealing a man with short black hair, a goatee and sideburns and wore a black vest over a white button up shirt, a crimson tie hanging from his neck as well as a pair of ruby-colored shades over his eyes. Although he could not completely see his eyes, Naruto could make out faint traces of bluish-black spots extending beyond the frames.

"Hello Junior, you look deprived, and as though you were dying." Naruto pointed out, knowing it was likely to provoke the information broker.

"Yeah, well you already know what happened. Those two _girls_ came in here and destroyed my place, do you know how much it'll cost to get everything repaired?" Junior sighed exasperatedly. Giving one final huff of distress, he fixed his tie and recomposed himself into a more professional manner. "But onto the matter of business, did you retrieve the package?"

"I certainly did, and the Schnee's were more than happy to provide it. A small fee was all that was required." Naruto said, although there was no pride in his voice, for his actions were less than worthy of praise - in his standards that is - and more deserving of shame. He was never one to steal, however the pay for the mission had been exceptionally high.

Junior nodded, keeping his head lowered while he wrote something down out of the sight of the camera. "Excellent. See to it that you get the package delivered within the week. Our client is refusing to make the payment until they know that we have it."

"Understood. I shall be there before the week's end."

Junior said nothing more, nodding in response before the camera shut off leaving Naruto to his own devices once more. Looking at the menu of his scroll, he noted the time in the upper right-hand corner and closed it before standing. "Time for breakfast… one last time for at least a year." Just the barest trace of a smile touched his lips. "Splendid."

Walking out of his room, the blonde descended the stairs down to the first floor of his family's estate. Arriving in the combination kitchen-dining room, he found a seat on one end of the table, already set with silverware and plates. "Morning, Naruto!" A woman stated exuberantly.

She had long, waist-length hair the color of blood that flowed freely without obscuring any part of her face. Violet eyes shone with maternal care which fit the image of housewife she wore. She wore a green, sleeveless dress over a white shirt, a yellow apron over even those as she brought a plate of eggs to the table in front of the only other person currently present.

Exactly across from the table as him was a man with tall spikes of sun-golden hair, two long bangs framing either side of his angular and lightly tanned face. A pair of azure eyes, gleaming with pride regarded the fifteen year old boy as he put down a book he had been reading. "Thank you Kushina." He said gratefully as he looked at her cooking. "How do you feel about your first day, Naruto?"

Naruto put on as much of a smile as he could muster in front of the two before responding to his parents. "I am looking forward to becoming a Huntsman. This is just another step in the stairway of my dream and I will handle it just as I handled my studies at Sanctum." Without warning, he felt a hand ruffle his hair as another girl walked past him and took a seat.

"You know very well it won't be that easy, you little bookworm." The girl stood at least as tall as their father, Minato, with short, blonde hair that ended at her shoulders and dark blue eyes deep as the ocean. She wore a conical, black hat atop her head that bent downwards about three-quarters up with a thick, white band going around the base and a wide brim meant to shield her eyes from the sun. Her dress was a matching shade of black, ending just below her knees with black, knee-high socks and a pair of heeled boots on her feet. The sleeves of her dress ended just an inch after her shoulders with white sleeves extending down to her wrists. Two, matching chain bracelets with a cross charm hanging off of each adorned her wrists.

"I will do my best regardless, Shiro." He replied evenly. "That is all I can do." His tone was given with such finality, such matter-of-factness that Shiro couldn't help but smirk at her little brother. She was proud of him, just like the rest of the family. That didn't mean she could give him any slack though. That was their mother's job.

"Your best just might not be good enough. I heard that the Entrance Ceremony has an exam that actually kills one-third of the entrants. There's three of us. You know what that means right?" Naruto simply smiled back.

"I suppose you should keep your eye on Tsuki then, shouldn't you?" As if on cue, he heard an indignant growl.

"Take that back, you idiot!" The last of the trio of siblings arrived right on time, sitting across from Shiro. She had a ponytail of auburn hair that went barely past her shoulders, two spiral clips on either side of her bangs that kept them out of her eyes. Her violet eyes glared at him even while he gave no reaction. Unlike her older sister, Tsuki wore a sleeveless, red shirt with two, silver-colored shoulder plates embedded with the same spiral insignia as her hair clips. A pair of blue hakama pants finished off her outfit with a sash tied around it. On either of her wrists she wore bracers that extended from her wrists back to her forearm, a pair of black, fingerless gloves on her hands. Even though she currently didn't wear her weapon, Naruto knew that she usually had a katana strapped across her back and a wakizashi hanging from her hip.

"I cannot take back something so steeped in the truth, Tsuki. I have my standards to keep and you know it." Tsuki felt so infuriated at that arrogant smirk! She couldn't wait until she got to spar him in combat class! She would wipe it off of his stupid face!

"And what about you two?" Minato asked, trying to diffuse the situation before Kushina returned with the children's eggs. He would prefer that they not go to school with fresh emotional scarring from her scolding. Shiro smiled sedately while Tsuki wore a large grin on her face.

"I am excited, to be perfectly honest. Not only do I get to be in the same year as my two siblings but also my best friend as well. The odds are good I will have at least one of them on my team." She spoke with a certain grace that reminded those at the table of another witch who worked at Beacon.

"I can't wait to show Ruby that size isn't everything!" Tsuki exclaimed. "She thinks that her scythe can beat mom's style, but I'll show her who has the superior teacher! Her weapon might look cool, but my swords are much, much stronger!" Minato couldn't help but let a small smile touch his lips at the very different reactions of his children about their first day at the very same Academy he had attended with Kushina and his team. He knew they would enjoy their time just as much as he had. There was no doubt in his mind they would each find their path at Beacon Academy.

"All the strength in the world is worthless when placed in the hands of someone without brains." Naruto told her before taking a bite of the eggs Kushina had placed before him without him noticing. Shiro and Tsuki had similar plates as well.

"You think you're so smart just because you skipped two grades, don't you?" Tsuki asked as she began eating her own food. "Rell, fu hart zat 'preshal!" Naruto didn't respond, merely waited as Kushina smacked Tsuki in the back of the head.

"Don't speak with your mouth full! You are supposed to be starting Beacon today. Act your age." Kushina scolded her, successfully causing Tsuki to become meek and nod obediently. "Good, now hurry up and finish your breakfast or you'll be late for your ride." The last line had been meant for all three of the children, not just Tsuki.

"Your mother is right." Minato agreed. "You know how she gets if everything isn't exactly perfect. I do love her like a sister but she really needs to learn how to relax…" Shaking his head with a light chuckle, Minato stood with his plate in hand. "I hope you three already packed before you came down here."

"Mhm!" Tsuki announced. "I got everything I'll need for the whole year already! I just gotta get my luggage when she gets here!"

"I am well-prepared." Shiro spoke. "I also got things Tsuki no doubt forgot in lieu of more… trivial items she deemed more important." The eldest of the trio wore a small smile as she said it, which was the only thing that kept Tsuki from exploding in anger at such a comment.

"I hardly had to do much packing." Naruto stated as he finished a bite. "I am ready to leave though." Minato chuckled at that.

"Yes, I suppose you don't really need to pack with your Semblance, do you? Seeing as how you three are now finished, gather your things and make your way to the living room. Her timing is always perfect so she might already be here." As if on cue, a loud ringing echoed through the house. "See what I mean?"

"Come on Shiro, let's go get our stuff!" Tsuki said excitedly, running up the stairs with energy akin to a certain girl with a red hood. Naruto grabbed his plate as well as those of his sisters. Making a stop in the kitchen to drop them off in the sink, he walked into the living room where Minato had already let the guest inside.

She had platinum blonde hair tied in bun with a single curl hanging down the right side of her face and wore thin glasses in front of her emerald eyes, a pair of teal earrings hanging from her ears.. Standing with perfect posture, the woman wore a white, long-sleeved suit with a circular opening that exposed a small portion of her chest, puffy sleeves that tightened around her wrists. Her lower body was covered by a back business skirt, red buttons in a vertical line in the front, dark brown stockings underneath it and black boots with brown heels. She also wore a cape that was violet on the inside and black on the outside.

"Good morning, Aunt Glynda." Naruto greeted the blonde woman politely. Glynda looked to the younger blond, approaching him with a light smile on her lips.

"Good morning, Naruto. Are you ready to start attending Beacon? I think you will find it enjoyable just as your father, mother and I did when we attended." He nodded once to the woman, a small smile on his lips as he thought about the school.

"Yes, I am looking forward to it. I know that all my training was child's play compared to what is to come once I start at Beacon but I am prepared to work as much as I may need to so that I can become a properly trained Huntsman." Glynda couldn't help but smile at his resolve as the other two girls arrived.

"Shiro, Tsuki, good morning to you two as well." She greeted them as they entered. "I trust you are ready as well?" Shiro nodded while Tsuki grinned. "That is a relief to hear. Shall we make our way to the airship then? I have a jet outside to take you three to the rendezvous point where the other freshmen of this district will be awaiting transportation to Beacon."

"Let's go then!" Tsuki agreed, rushing out of the door first, followed by the quieter trio who walked at a more even pace.

"Thanks for taking them again, Glynda." Minato said with a smile.

"It is no problem, Minato. I will talk to you and Kushina later." As they walked out, Minato and Kushina watched them make their way to the jet Glynda had spoke of. They waved goodbye to their children up until the moment the jet left their sight, though they could still hear it long after that.

"How long will it take to get there?" Tsuki wondered curiously as the vehicle began to dart past trees and hills.

"It will be at least a few hours." Glynda commented plainly, the ship finally keeping a constant, if blurring, speed. Hearing this, Naruto pulled out his scroll and a pair of headphones. Opening up the music player, he shut his eyes relaxing to the ominous melody of an organ. **(2)**

 _Sic filii scite tibi vi sacramentum._

 _Erit premium sanguine sanctum,_

 _Erit premium sanguine sanctum absconditum._

 _Vel venio humanitas tendo pendere_

 _Sanguine sanctum..._

 **[Somewhere in Vale]**

"Naruto, wake up…" Hearing his name, the blonde opened his eyes as Shiro gently shook his shoulder. Removing his earbuds, he looked out the window to see that the ground was nearing them at a constant rate; they were landing. He took that as a sign to place his earbuds back within a pocket of his coat and do the same with his scroll after compacting it.

When the jet touched down on the airstrip, the trio of siblings bore witness to several other models similar to the one they arrived in. Further down the strip, a small group of students Shiro's age were boarding an enormous airship with four massive wings, two horizontally placed to each side. They were motionless at the moment, but when they moved the three had no doubt the ensuing sound would be thunderous.

The jet finally did halt its movement. "That is the ship that will transport all of the students to Beacon that live in Vale. There are similar ones in the other three kingdoms to gather the students who wish to attend our school instead of the academies of their respective homelands."

Even as she finished talking, the jet's door opened up, a set of stairs extending to the ground for their use. The entire group exited the jet - including Glynda - and made their way towards the airship. "Does anyone not use the airships to get to Beacon?" Naruto wondered idly, capturing Glynda's attention.

"There are a select few, yes. Usually it is those from very wealthy families that own their own private airships that can travel long distances. I happen to know that Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Mining company is traveling that way instead of getting on the… communal transport."

"She's probably a rich snoot who thinks she's better than everyone else!" Tsuki assumed. "Doesn't she know that she could make friends on the trip up to Beacon!" Shiro patted the younger girl's head, causing Tsuki to huff in annoyance.

"You have a point Tsuki. The Schnee live in Atlas and I am sure that there are very few students in our class arriving from that kingdom. Even then, she likely was tutored privately instead of going to one of the Preparatory Academies with the… common rabble."

"I detect some personal experience with that type of person in your voice…" Naruto replied, receiving a sigh from his older sister. "Well, just think, there's a chance you might end up on her team." The grin he wore as he said that almost looked sadistic, though not quite.

"Heeeeeeeey! Tsuuuuuuuki!" Everyone looked up at the airship to see a girl in one of the windows, waving down at them. She had short, black hair with streaks of red mixed in and a pair of silver eyes. She was wearing a black dress with a red corset-like design over her stomach. The hem was ruffled with a red lining around the bottom. Around her waist was a belt that held several rounds of ammunition as well as a leather pack for clips. Under the skirt of her dress were almost translucent, black stockings and a pair of black boots with red laces that almost reached up to her knees. Around her neck was a red as roses hooded cloak that flapped as she waved her arm.

"Hey Ruby!" Tsuki responded in kind, waving back energetically. She rushed up the ramp that led inside the airship, leaving the other three behind in her wake.

"I had predicted that would happen." Naruto said evenly. "It is better than if we had gotten here before Ruby though. I have my doubts that, this ramp may not have been able to handle her hyperactive speed from that Semblance of hers. Shiro giggled, nodding her head at the thought of Ruby rushing up with a trail of petals falling to the ramp even as it likely became irreversibly damaged.

Somehow or another, Glynda had disappeared as the two were imagining that scenario, leaving the siblings alone to walk up the ramp at a rather sedated pace. "Well… it looks like we're finally going to be starting the final step to become Huntsmen and Huntresses." She commented to him, gaining only silence in response. She looked at him as they walked, worried for a moment that he might be overly nervous.

"Each step is only that… a single footstep." He replied finally. "Everything up until now has only been us taking that first footstep down this road. We do not know which way our footsteps will fall as we journey on the road, which forks in the road we shall take or who we shall meet… all we know is that when we get to the destination, there is no turning back. Beacon is where the path converges… the steps from there are up to us now. It's like they say… it is not the destination, but the journey that lies beyond."

 **The Mighty Morgoth: ~**

 **Laurence, the First Vicar - T. Saitoh**

 **Okay, the edits have been made, and it's ready to be reposted. Chapter three will be out soon, I promise you this much. Please leave a review if have any legitimate criticism, and if you have any questions regarding the story, send me a Private Message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I do seriously implore you to personally message me if you have any problems with the story. I'm willing to hear what you all have to say.**

 **Auf Wiedersehen, and may you find good fortune upon your travels.**


	2. Premonition

**Shadow of War**

 **Chapter II: Premonition**

 **[Observation Deck, Bullhead to Beacon]**

Naruto stood in silence as he peered out of the massive circular windows of the Bullhead, having finally obtained a moment of peace from his chatting sisters and their compatriots. While Naruto normally preferred the sounds of battle and warfare over the monotony of silence and peace, this was an exception for his limits for mundane conversation had been driven to its peak. But alas, he no longer needed to dwell on such thoughts, as he had finally escaped their presence and found serenity.

"This is Lisa Lavender reporting in on the investigation of the recent terrorist bombings on one of our local huntsmen families; the Winchesters." Naruto interest was peaked by the news reporter's subject, given that he knew the family they spoke about. "The White Fang organization have claimed responsibility for the killing of one of the Winchester's family members, and the critical injuries of another."

 _Cowardly savages, have they no honour? No chivalry? Of course not, what could beings that hide in the shadows, and face their opponents wreathed in a cloak of deception and fear possibly know about honour?_ Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto was brought out of his focus when a hand suddenly tapped his shoulder and he heard a female's voice on the opposite side. "Good morning, Naruto."

Naruto turned around to face the source of these words, finding himself face to face with a short blonde girl. She had unkempt, cream blonde hair that went to the middle of her neck and perhaps more notably, a pair of small feline ears lay partially hidden in her hair, twitching at the slightest sound. Two pinkish-red eyes filled with mirth stared right back at his own stoic eyes, which complemented the perpetual smile that always adorned her face. She wore a yellow, short-sleeved dress shirt with a pouch on both sides of her chest, an onyx black tie, a black knee-length skirt and a pair of black socks that reached to her upper calves.

"Good morning Schrödinger," Naruto greeted formally. "I see that you decided to come to Beacon as well, although I'm surprised you didn't just go to Haven like the majority of the other students."

Arms on her hips, she sighed exasperatedly, "Naruto, you don't need to be so formal vith me, and I decided to come here since zere's nothing really promising or interesting in Haven." She spoke with a distinct dialect, found in the regions Northeast of Solitas' former capital, Mantle. "Plus, ve're not the only two to come here from Sanctum."

"Who else came?" Naruto questioned, one of his eyebrows raised in interest. "Is it Boudicea and… _Hassan_? The latter name being said with distaste as a frown found itself upon his face.

"Indeed it is, however zey are on another Bullhead last I saw." She said chuckling as Naruto groaned in response. "Vhy? Vhut's wrong with zose two?"

"Boudicea is hot-tempered and easily drawn to confrontation, however she is tolerable. It's Hassan I cannot stand; he's an assassin and a trickster. He refuses to face me properly in a duel and is constantly appearing out of nowhere and then seemingly disappearing into the shadows," His frown growing larger as he began to delve deeper into his rantings. "And then he has the gall to mock me simply because I us-"

"Okay, I get it! You don't like him because he's your exact opposite." Schrödinger quickly interrupted, sparing herself from his ravings whilst beginning to think of a new topic for their conversation lest she be forced to hear more of his grumblings. "I remember you told me zat you vere vorking on a new set of armor, how is zat going?"

"Ah yes, I just finished getting the cloth sewn and in place for the cuirass. It took some time to find the right cloth but it was worth it." Naruto stated proudly, recalling his most recent construction. "I long for the day where I shall stride forward into the hordes of Grimm whilst covered head-to-toe in my suit of mighty armor, guided forth by my hunger for battle." The frown he wore previously now gone, and a small smile graced his lips as he seemed to zone out looking into the world beyond the glass windows.

"Zat's good and all, but how vill you evade ze larger Grimm? Like Ursas?" She inquired carefully, fearful of another one of his long-winded rants. "Surely ze armor shall weigh you down, no?"

Naruto, snapped out of his stupor by her concerns, and looked at Schrödinger with an overconfident, if not arrogant gaze. "My shield shall preserve my body, my blade shall smite my enemies without cessation or mercy. I will not turn away when my enemy bares his arms, nor shall I flee when they strike," He said, seemingly losing himself in the moment once again, his voice and words soon became more flaring and dramatic, gathering the attention of more than a few onlookers who found themselves enticed by his bold speech.

"I will brace against them, and bring upon them unbound wrath never before seen in their lifetime. To the people, we as Huntsmen must stand, as bastions of strength, never fleeing from evil and ensuring that the lands we safeguard remain untainted. We must maintain that sense of security, or their faith will slacken, and order will wane into roaring chaos. Such is our duty." He finished his speech, with over half the people on the observation deck staring at him in awe and emboldened by his words of truth.

Naruto now aware of how many people were looking at him, became anxious, fearing that he may have embarrassed himself in front of the rest of his future peers, however he externally maintained a calm and composed form.

A single clap broke the near eternal silence, from none other than Schrödinger herself, her trademark grin only becoming wider and larger. A few more students joined in, however others simply stood there in silent contemplation, thinking over his words, although this did little to relieve Naruto of his doubt. Unsure of what to do in this situation, he gave a faint and daunting smile, scratching the back of his hand as to distract him from further embarrassment.

Not long after Naruto gave his unintentional speech, all of the news broadcasts that had been playing on the observation decks shut off and in their place, holoprojectors activated and a woman appeared. Once the particles finalized, the woman was revealed to be Glynda Goodwitch. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

Naruto's attention was briefly caught when his hearing caught the sounds of two people arguing, one male and one female. As Glynda continued on with her welcoming announcement, Naruto turned and quickly glanced at the arguing couple.

The boy was nearly half a foot taller than him, with ashen hair and pale skin. He wore a slate grey jacket that was partially zipped up to the collar region along with a pair of black pants and black shoes. Based on his facial expressions, or rather lack of, he looked to be quite bored of being reprimanded by his companion, appearing to be only diverting half of his attention to her.

She on the other hand, took a much more serious stance, her arms on her hips and looked quite furious with her friend who seemed to care less. More notably about her was mint green hair, and from what he could tell from the brief second she turned around to face the main assembly of people, dark crimson eyes. Her skin, in contrast to the taller boy's pale white, was a dark mocha brown and seemed to absorb nearby light while his seemed to reflect it.

After a few minutes, the two seemed to stop just as Glynda began wrapping up her speech.

"-and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." With those words, the hologram deactivated, and the projection of Glynda disappeared.

"Oh, wow! Tsuki, we can see Signal from up here!" Naruto glanced over to see Ruby and his twin peering out of the window to his far right, gazing out into the city below. He soon found himself doing the same, albeit, more lost in thought. Unfortunately, such peace did not last as a blond boy, half a foot taller than himself scramble past him, a hand held to his mouth and another on his stomach.

As the boy rushed to the nearest waste bin, small drops of liquid seemed to dribble out of his mouth, the hand guarding it only mildly containing his bile. Schrödinger began to giggle as he nearly tripped on his own feet, and drops of vomit occasionally fell onto those he passed.

While Naruto might have found this to be a long and dreary ride to Beacon, clearly Schrödinger thought otherwise.

 **[Beacon Academy Docking Station]**

As Naruto and Schrödinger walked out of the Bullhead into the cool air, the former's sisters and their friends following close behind. Upon completely exiting the Bullhead, they were greeted with the impressive sight of Beacon Academy. Whilst Schrödinger, Tsuki, Yang and Ruby were simply caught in awe by the size of the Academy or perhaps by the incredible details upon the structures, Naruto found his attention grabbed by something else. The unity and symmetry of the Academy was unbelievable, few locations, as old and as large could ever hope to achieve such unity in design.

"Isn't this place just awesome!" Yang shouted with excitement, grabbing Ruby and Tsuki's shoulders.

"Yeah sis, just please stop crushing us. You're going to break my shoulder." Ruby said, her voice strained as pain was clearly etched on her face.

"Whoops, sorry. I forget my own strength sometimes." Yang said releasing the two younger girls, chuckling and scratching her head in an embarrassed fashion. "So, little bro, what do you think of this place? Pretty cool am I right?" Yang inquired, turning her attention to Naruto.

"First off, please stop calling me 'little bro' as I'm not your younger brother," Naruto stated, his face marred with a frown in annoyance at her nickname. "Yeah, for now that is..." Yang said quietly under her breath, seemingly unheard by most around her, save for one, whom promptly blushed. "Second, I relish in Beacon's architecture, the symmetry is remarkable and the design of its buildings are simply amaz-"

"Little bro, please stop before you go into another one of your long speeches like you did earlier." Yang interrupted, bringing up his five minute long speech. Naruto quickly blushed, reminded of his embarrassing actions aboard the Bullhead.

"Yes, yes. No need to bring that back up." Naruto spoke quickly, trying to appease Yang's need to further shame him.

"But hey, it was a pretty good speech, not gonna lie. Just a bit long."

Naruto felt a hand tap his shoulder twice, before turning around to see Schrödinger. "I'm going to split off and look for our two friends, I'll come get you vhen I find zem." Naruto nodded in acknowledgement, turning his head back to its original position, eyes forward.

"So, Naruto, I didn't know you used so many weapons, can you tell me about them?" Ruby asked suddenly, excitement shining in her silver eyes.

"They're used for battle and warfare." Naruto said bluntly, stoicism plastered onto his face. Yang and Shiro looked at one another and quietly giggled as Ruby's excitement soon deflated.

"Naruto, you can be a bit more specific than that can't you?" Shiro chided, trying to get her younger brother to give a proper answer.

"I suppose so. However, as this information is private and until I know you are on my team when the time comes, I shall reveal only a mere parcel of my arsenal to you. Orally that is."

Upon finishing his statement, Naruto heard the sound of repressed laughter. Turning to look behind him, he saw Tsuki and Ruby, both hands on their mouths, as they closed their eyes and their cheeks blushed as if they were holding in something. Naruto raised his eyebrow in uncertainty. "What?"

"You said oral." And suddenly, as if the walls of a dam had been destroyed, a wave of built-up laughter was set loose.

Naruto in response, simply frowned once again, pinching the bridge of his nose, right below his glasses. "Are you serious?"

"Sorry, sorry. It was just too funny, especially coming from you. Please, continue." Tsuki replied to Naruto, gasping for breath in between statements.

"As a melee sidearm, I utilize an Arming Sword; a double-edged blade about two and a half feet in length made of refined steel. A dust compartment is hidden within the sword that allows me to place a dust crystal, and channel its properties throughout my blade. Does that satiate your curiosity, Ruby?"

"Yeah, thanks Naruto." Ruby responded, still slightly winded from her earlier bout of laughter.

A vibration came from Naruto's interior jacket pocket, and he quickly reached in and grabbed it seeking to find out what was causing it. A single message simply stating 'Plaza'.

"I will take my leave now, I'll see you all at the end of the day." He nodded to the two pairs of sisters and began to quickly walk before transitioning into a light jog.

He soon found the familiar attire of Schrödinger along with three other people. One boy and two girls.

The boy, standing two inches taller than Naruto, had dark brown skin and light brown eyes, however his body was almost entirely covered in light armor and midnight black cloth, save for his face and his hands. He laid his back upon one of the pillars in the plaza, hands resting on the back of his head as he took in the humorous sight of the two women fighting and arguing. Along his pants, and within his cloak, Naruto could catch the sheen of the many daggers and blades he kept hidden on his person.

The first girl had snow white skin, with pale sapphires for eyes, and long white hair placed in an off center bun tail. She wore a thigh length strapless dress that goes from a white to pale blue along with a white bolero, rectangular silver earrings and white boots. She paced back and forth, hands on her hips with a sort of grace only those of nobility could possess through years of practice in etiquette. She seemed to hold herself with high esteem, and he could feel the confidence with every step she took.

The second woman however, was tall. Extremely tall, standing well over a foot and a half above Naruto, with golden hair that flowed down to her shoulder blades, fair white skin, and oaken brown eyes. Vivid blue paint found itself marked on her face, a horizontal line coming from each of her ears to the corner of her eyes, and a set of three lines on the very bottom of her eyes, similar to eyelashes. She wore a rich azure tunic that seemed to be torn along its sleeves and towards the bottom, however this gave Naruto the opportunity to catch sight of glints of light in the tears. She was wearing metal, and knowing her, it was likely to be chainmail armor. She strode, not with the noble grace of the other girl, but with a savage dominance, as if this was her kingdom, and the girl of nobility was a trespasser. And she seemed to be ready to defend her "kingdom" to the death if it came to it.

"I demand you apologize to me! You brutishly slammed into me, and then have the gall to demand an apology from me? Do you know who I am?" The shorter of the two demanded.

"I shall do no such thing, in fact I think that it is you who owe me an apology, weakling. Dare to stand in my way, and you will face the consequences." The larger girl threatened, cracking her knuckles. "And believe me, I'll enjoy every bit of this, _Schnee_."

Naruto, finally reaching the plaza, walked up next to the man with his back on the pillar. "Salutations, _Hassan."_ The name was uttered in an unpleasant tone, as if one was trying to speak whilst eating horrible cuisine. The man in response, turned to face him.

"Ah, hello Naruto, I see you've come to see the fight." Hassan said, an amused tone in his voice. "They only met two… maybe three minutes ago, and they're already at each other's throats."

"And I assume you've done nothing to stop them?"

"That's about right." Hassan said in return, a small smile gracing his face as he began to lightly chuckle. "If you'd like to stop them, be my guest." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

Naruto steadily walked up to the pair of girls, hoping to intervene before their quarrel became violent. "Boudicea, calm yourself, and avert your anger. And you will do the same, Schnee." Naruto ordered, now playing the role of arbitrator. "Boudicea you claimed yourself to be the 'warrior-queen' of Sanctum Academy, so act like it, and show some restraint. I'm not ordering you to be humble, but simply don't become violent upon the first insult or accident." Naruto scolded the older woman, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Thank you, I was afraid _someone_ was going to get hurt here, at least someone acknowledges who I am." The Schnee girl said, the pride she had shown earlier still evident in her tone.

"The same goes for you, Schnee," Naruto, now turning his attention to other girl involved, his ire still as present as it was before. "You were raised in the higher echelons of Atlesian Society and I can assume you were taught proper manners and etiquette?" She nodded her head in response to his question. "Good, then recompose yourself, and proceed with your route. Should you stay here any longer her ire will only grow." Naruto commanded, efficiently breaking up the would-be fight. The Schnee woman then proceeded to leave, her attendants carting her bags and luggage behind her, but not before turning to face him one last time.

"It's Weiss by the way. _Thank you_ …" She whispered the last part, departing with her attendants to the main hall.

Boudicea gathered herself and gave a deep sigh, whether in relief or in disappointment Naruto did not know, but she turned to him and spoke. " _Thanks_ , Naruto but you didn't need to get involved, I could've handled it myself."

"Clearly not, you were about to draw your blade and duel her in one-on-one combat." Naruto reprimanded

"He's right. I saw your hand reaching for the hilt of your sword." Hassan said, making himself known to the group. "You would've challenged her to open combat right here in the plaza."

"Yeah, so what? She was asking for it, the cheeky little bitch. I swear, if she does that again I'll-"

"Save your strength for the combat classes, Boudicea. The time will come eventually." Naruto said, slowly calming her irritation. "Now, let's proceed onward into the assembly hall, yes?"

 **[Assembly Hall/Amphitheater]**

Making their way through the crowd of new students, the group of four strode forward seeking a decent location to stand for the speech that was supposed to be given by the Headmaster of Beacon. After several minutes of walking, the group finally found a area where they could both have a good view of the stage and be within good hearing distance. Naruto, whom started to look around the building out of boredom, spotted a familiar face. His rival.

A woman with garnet-red hair tied into a waist-length ponytail and emerald green eyes, standing at six feet grabbed Naruto's attention as he was regaled of his times in Sanctum Academy. She wore her traditional bronze greaves and brace, bronze V-neck top and light brown strapless top, a black A-line miniskirt and red ankle-length drapery. She held herself with such pride – or was it confidence – that she seemed to fear nothing, standing amongst the crowd without any anxiety of her first day at Beacon Academy, nor any sign of distress of the trials that await her. She was perfect example of a huntress in training. But to Naruto, she was his greatest, and quite possibly the only rival of his generation.

She was Pyrrha Nikos, one of the few other competent students at Sanctum Academy who had managed to beat him several times. She was his ire, his rival and his archnemesis. For what foe could be greater, than the one that could manipulate your very weapons against you? On average, every other battle was a victory on Pyrrha's part, and every time she was victorious, Naruto could feel shame and dishonored as he let victory escape his grasp. He refined his equipment, studied her like one would study a new species of animal, observing her techniques and how she handled combat, and would eventually overcome said technique by altering his equipment or his style of combat. But every time he achieved victory, so did she as she too quickly learned to counter him. Such was an endless cycle that repeated itself for two years up to their graduation. Outside of combat though, the two were equal in terms of academic and their knowledge on history and the likes. They both graduated at the same time, both valedictorians and at the top of their classes. But given the break between preliminary academies and the final period of academic life prior to being officially instated as huntsmen, he's expanded his arsenal to better suit one-on-one combat with the Spartan.

Naruto was forced out of his musings when he heard the microphone produce its characteristic static noise, and noticed that the Headmaster, a middle-aged man with tousled silver-grey hair, shaded spectacles, and a black and green suit along with Glynda had walked up on stage. He walked calmly up to the stage, completely serious expression on his face, no smile like some of the other professors he had caught glimpses of on campus, and seemed indifferent for the most part. The previously noisy crowd had softened and was now nearly silent, as the small groups of friends who were spread out among the hall soon began shuffling in with the rest of the crowd. Naruto now was unable to see, as more and more people blocked his sight, given his relatively short size compared to the older students around him. Noticing his distress, Boudicea snapped her fingers in front of Naruto, gaining his attention.

"Need some help?" She offered, seeking to help her acquaintance.

"Sure, what did you have in mind-!?" He asked, however his question was soon resolved as she grabbed a hold of his legs and easily lifted him up onto her shoulders. Shocked by the sudden actions of his colleague, he struggled to balance himself, but after a few seconds, managed to do so.

"Thank you." He spoke in a hushed tone, his cheeks flushing as he was held up like a child, however, his problem was resolved nonetheless and he refrained from scolding her.

Finally, the headmaster spoke. "I'll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." His speech taking a slow turn from an welcoming introduction to condescension.

 _I lack no such purpose or direction. My purpose is as clear as the dawn, and my direction as straightforward as my blade._ Naruto thought to himself in response to the headmaster's words. _I've known what I shall do for years now, and I've worked for that dream ever since. Blood and sweat have been sacrificed to make my ambition a reality. I will not disappoint._

The Headmaster, now having finished his speech while Naruto was thinking, relinquished control of the microphone to Glynda who gave a brief statement. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." She immediately left, following behind the Headmaster.

"Vel zat vas certainly… inspirational." Schrödinger said, slightly baffled by the headmaster's speech.

"If by inspirational, you mean condescending and patronizing, then I would agree." Hassan followed up. "Well, I guess I'll see you at the ballroom tonight. If not, then tomorrow at the initiation area." He waved them goodbye, and as usual, blended into the crowd of people, and disappeared like a spectre.

"Boudicea, would you mind letting me down now?" Naruto inquired the tall girl, whom had almost forgotten of his presence on her shoulders given their difference in size and mass.

"Oh, sure thing." She said, setting him down on the solid and more stable ground.

"My thanks, I shall also be departing and touring the academy, by myself. I'll see you all later tonight." He said, excusing himself from the group, and taking his leave at the nearest exit.

 **[Main Avenue]**

Upon exiting the amphitheater, Naruto continued outward towards the large, stone statue of two huntsmen, one male and one female, who stood triumphantly atop a rock outcropping, with a Beowolf below. Upon, making a left turn, circling around the statue to view it from the front, he saw another familiar face. However, this one was not another student from Sanctum Academy. No, he was another person who came from a decently powerful and influential family of huntsmen he had met through his family's huntsmen gatherings.

A giant for someone only two years older than him, he stood over six and a half feet tall, about the same height as Boudicea. He had burnt-orange hair combed and slicked back and indigo blue eyes. He wore silver-gray armor, with a gold trim, the most notable feature being the large, outstretched bird on his chestplate. Underneath that, he wore a black shirt and pants, the former having a red trimming to them.

"Afternoon, Cardin." Naruto greeted formally, extending his arm out for a handshake.

The gesture was returned as Cardin held his hand out to receive. "Hey Naruto, haven't seen you since our parents joined yours for that party." A small smile graced his face, pleased to see someone whom he's known before. "Didn't think you'd come here, since you're parents kept talking about you being at Sanctum and all, I figured you would end up going to Haven Academy."

"That's understandable. I ended up deciding to Beacon instead of Haven as much more, pleasant information has been given out regarding the faculty and the Academy itself as opposed to Haven, where organized crime has slowly influenced the Academy's actions and decisions." Naruto responded, perhaps explaining more than what was necessary. "Come, walk with me." He said, gesturing that they walk around the main avenue of Beacon.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how have you been since the attack on your family?" Naruto asked cautiously, uncertain of Cardin's mental state should the traumatic event resurge in his mind.

"My mom's getting better. The doctors say she'll be out of the hospital in about two months, but… my little sister, Tana she-." His voice began to quiver as he held his head down in melancholy.

His response to Naruto's question was halted when the latter put a hand on the giant's shoulder, signalling to him not to continue. "You need not continue with your statement, I understand. Forgive me for bringing up the topic." Naruto said, his face showed no change of emotion, his typical stoic frown present on his face.

"No, no it's fine." Cardin tells him, his state of sorrow quickly transforming into rage as he began to clench his fists. "Those Faunus bastards, they killed by little sister and they almost killed my mother! They'll pay for what they've done to them, to this I swear it." He vowed to himself, steeling his resolve.

"And you shall attain your revenge. But you must gather your might, consolidate your power, and have a vast collection of information against them. To strike at them, you must know where and what to hit, rather than swing blindly in the dark. Hold back your anger, and when you silence those who have killed and harmed your loved ones, then you may let your anger subside." Naruto instructed him, advising him both as a fellow huntsman and as an associate.

"Thanks Naruto." The two remained solemnly quiet for the remainder of their walk around Beacon. Almost unnoticed to them, the the rays of the sun, slowly began to dim and fade, as the sun itself set into horizon. Soon, the fractured moon made itself known, surrounded by a seemingly limitless number of stars. Nightfall was upon the two.

"Well, I bid you farewell, Cardin Winchester. I wish the best of luck to you in the initiation tomorrow." Naruto said, giving him a small respectful bow.

"You too, Naruto. Good luck on the initiation." Cardin said in turn, returning the bow with one of his own. The two, now taking their leave, and walking separate directions.

 **[Ballroom]**

Having finished dinner in the cafeteria, Naruto proceeded to the one of the larger bathrooms to shower and change his clothing. Naruto now wore a white linen tunic with a black trim and a silk interior, a pair of white linen pants with two pockets; one on each side, and a warm ashen grey nightcap that pointed outwards and fell down around his neck, carrying a medium sized book with a brown leather covering, the words 'Liber Maleficium' sewn in jet black thread on the front, while on the back was his emblem sewn in the very same thread. The top of his quill, a pure as snow white feather, poked out of one of his two pockets, the other, likely filled with his sealed ink bottle or his scroll and headphones.

Upon entering the ballroom, the first thing he noticed was the number of people staying the night here. The ballroom alone was housing well over three or four scores of other new students. Dismissing his thoughts, he began trying to search for a decent spot, he gazed around the massive room, pushing his glasses further up towards his eyes to get a clearer view of the area.

"Naruto!" Tsuki yelled, gaining her twin's attention. "Over here! Me and sis saved you a spot."

Naruto, now attempting to sift through the sea of students, the majority of whom were bunched up and crowded together, a few of them however, did not seem ready to sleep. They were chatting or roughhousing, females for the former, and males on the latter. Neither groups seemed intent on resting anytime soon.

 _Oh well. Their death wish, not mine._

Finally making it to the far left side of the ballroom towards the large staircase ascending up to the next floor, Naruto joined his siblings.

"Sooooo..." Tsuki said, stretching the word as long as she possibly could. "Where did you go after you left us?"

"I joined my old colleagues from Sanctum Academy about a half of a mile away from the Huntsmen's Statue in front of the main doors, we then proceeded to enter the amphitheatre like everyone else did, listened to the Headmaster's speech, I then disembarked from the group and spoke to a familiar face, ate dinner, showered, changed my clothing and walked here from the entrance of the ballroom." He said, pointing towards the doors he came in from.

"Naruto, please stop taking her literally. I know you enjoy annoying her but she's going to throw a fit at some point, and I'll probably have to deal with it." Shiro said, hoping her younger brother would understand her plight.

"Hmm. Tempting, very tempting. But here's a counter offer. I don't stop, and you deal with her childish tantrums." He said, a small smile gracing his face as he began to enjoy annoying his other sister.

"Sup guys." A familiar voice made itself known as Yang and Ruby walked up to the three siblings. "You mind if we join you here?"

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm going to head over to the wall and sit down and go through my ledger." He said, gesturing to his sisters as he then pointed to the nearby wall where a trio of candles had been lit providing one of the few sources of light in the entire ballroom.

"Goodnight Naruto, see you tomorrow morning." Shiro said warmly, smiling to her little brother.

"Yeah, goodnight little bro, see ya tomorrow." Yang said, snickering at his typical reaction of annoyance towards the name she always referred to him by. Tsuki and Ruby simply waved to him, not desiring to annoy him any further.

The only male in the group of siblings turned towards the candlelight and began walking forward. He then noticed the holder, or rather the owner of said candlelight. She had creamy white skin contrasting with her long ebony locks, amber yellow eyes, purple eyeshadow, and a single black bow tied on the top of her head. She wore a black yukata with a purple undershirt and skirt, and was resting right next to a small three legged stand holding up the candelabrum and three candles.

He walked up to her, and politely gained her attention. "Excuse me, would you mind if I sat next to you?"

"Go for it." She said, not looking up from her book. He nodded in appreciation, and sat down next to the introverted girl.

He loosened the ledger's bindings before opening it to reveal pages of fine parchment. Pulling out his quill and ink, he began to flip through the ledger, searching for his most recent activity. Finally arriving on a page of parchment, filled only about two-thirds of the way down the sheet, he unsealed his vial of ink, dipped his quill and began to steadily write.

The Liber Maleficium's contents were separated into three columns, one for the name or pseudonym of whomever had worked with Naruto, the debt that they held towards him, be it paying him money or simply them owing a favor of aid or assistance in exchange for a job or service. The third column was the most tricky, considering that only a single letter would be marked in the slot, either being lower case, c with an small cedilla sprouting from the lower curve, or simply the capital letter, C. This indicated whether or not the debt at hand was related to his criminal activities, which were the latter, or his standard civilian life, which were the former. A number of names had been crossed out however, all of which had the capital letter, C in the third column. For those who don't pay their dues will face the consequences.

Drawing up a new row below the most previously written one, he began filling in the information from his most recent job. There was neither a given name, nor a pseudonym so he simply marked it with two question marks.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" He heard Ruby's distressed voice, and looked up to see Yang dragging her younger sister forwards towards him and the girl sitting besides him.

Realizing that there would likely be a mundane and distracting conversation next to him, he reached into his left pocket, connected his headphones to his scroll, and placed the buds into his ears, pulling the scroll out to select a song. After finding the right one, and tapping the repeat icon, he swiftly got back to work to the sounds of a harpsichord being gently plucked alongside the almost melancholic singing of a woman. **(1)**

 _I'll need to ask Junior the name of my last employer. That will be most useful if she should decide to abstain paying me. Oh well, just one more debt to add into the great book._

Filling in the last two slots with the amount he was supposed to be paid; exactly one million and five hundred thousand lien, and the third slot with a capital C, he would determine whether or not this one needed to be crossed out as well after he met with Junior the next day. Closing the Liber Maleficium, Naruto rewrapped the bindings around the book, wiped his quill clean, and resealed his ink capsule.

Looking back up, he noticed the Schnee girl… Weiss Schnee if he remembered correctly, entering the vicinity and was arguing with Ruby and Yang, whilst the woman next to him seemed to simply watch on in annoyance. Walking past the commotion and to the bedroll his sisters had laid out for him, he slid the book down towards the interior of the roll, removed and folded his pair of glasses before sealing them in a casing, and allowed darkness to overtake his vision, clearing his mind from all but the sound of the singing woman, and the gentle strumming of the harpsichord.

 **[Unknown]**

Darkness.

All Naruto could see was absolute darkness and his own body, which oddly seemed so clear and bright. Peering around he noticed that he was suspended by something, yet felt nothing beneath him or to his sides, almost as if he was floating idly in an empty void. He could not take a step forward, nor one backwards, as there was nothing to propel himself with, save for his own mass. However, he still debated whether that would be a viable option.

" _ **He's here, yes-yes.**_ " A shrill voice called out accompanied by the short and rapid fluttering of chitin wings. Naruto swallowed some spit and readied himself for whatever was to come, but remained silent.

Suddenly, three pairs of crimson slits tore open in the abyssal world around him, glaring at him with such intensity that he stood in silent awe, his legs quivering ever so slightly. Habitually he attempted to step back but to no avail as there was no surface to back on, and so he stood there, perpetually floating in terror as six "eyes" looked at him. Looking closer, he noticed there were small lines or divides within the eye that created a sort of compound eye found on insects, and every section glowed with rapid ferocity.

The black void around the eyes warped into insane creations, forming random "teeth" and facial organs, and appearing almost solid enough for one to grab ahold of. Nonetheless, his fear only grew as a shadowy tongue was formed and began slithering between the gaps in its teeth and finally sliding into its "mouth" before forming a grin not unlike a certain cat faunus from the northeastern regions of Solitas.

It spoke, but in no comprehensible language, randomly shifting its tone and pitch, and even speaking in multiple octaves and voices at a single time, going from piercing screeching akin to a Griffon or a Nevermore, to a low droning and thunderous roar like a blend between a Beringel and a Goliath. Its voice suddenly found the right frequency, becoming as close to a man's as possible.

" _ **Partake of the darkness. It is for all to share…**_ " It spoke, a thousand voices horribly melded into one, its compound eyes glowing in rapid intervals as if each section belonged to an individual voice. " _ **You are favored by the dark… you –**_ "

 **[Ballroom, 5:30 A.M.]**

Sweat pouring down his face, Naruto awoke in a rather frightened state of mind, glad that no one was awake to notice it. He feared he was still in the abyssal realm however the pale moonlight passing through the massive windows gave him relief that his nightmare had ended. His eyes now adjusting to the darkness, he now made out the silhouettes of the sleeping students around him, including his sisters. As far as he could tell, no one other than Naruto had woken up this early, and so he opened his glasses casing, and placed them on top of his ears, gently sliding onto to the bridge of his nose.

Carefully planning a route through the sea of students, Naruto slowly began to walk through them, seeking the doors to his far right. And as quickly and quietly as he had woke up, he left in the same manner.

Upon reaching the twin doors that led out from the ballroom to the rest of the school's interior, he halted his advance, trying to recall where the location of the bathrooms were to change out of his nightwear, get a shower, and change into his gambeson, the padded defensive jacket made to be worn underneath his armor to provide cushioning and help position the plating of his armor. He would wait to actually put on his armor, for later. No need to carry such weight around the school for another two to three hours.

 **[Cafeteria, 5:55 A.M.]**

Naruto, now changed into a white high-collared jacket that at the waistline, parted into three faulds; two in the front and one large one in the back, and stretched down to his lower thighs. To Naruto, it was incredibly comfortable, having made it himself out of linen and silk, it prevented him from receiving uncomfortable chafing during combat, allowing him to fight unhindered by discomfort. He also wore a pair of pants made of the same materials, which would help to link the cuisses, poleyns and greaves similarly to the gambeson, whilst a pair of simple yet comfortable shoes would be worn surrounded by his tapered sabatons.

Walking out of the bathroom and now to the cafeteria, Naruto found himself rather famished, and decided to head towards one of the incredibly short lines where second and third year students were already being served, albeit no more than a dozen students were here.

Standing in line behind a teenage girl who seemed to be a 'fashionista' as his described by his older sister to him, wore a pair of dark rimmed aviator sunglasses and a jet black beret atop her head. She also wore a cocoa colored shirt, a black scarf hanging around the bottom of her neck, and a pair of black pants. He doubted that any of other students had woken up in the last twenty-five minutes that he'd been showering and changing, so he would assume that this girl was either a second year or higher.

It was now his turn to order breakfast. "I shall have the blood sausages and a loaf of your finest bread, and if you do not mind me asking, you wouldn't happen to have any broth would you?"

The attendant nodded to him, writing down his order and handing it to another attendant to give to the cooks in the back.

"Hey kid," An unfamiliar voice made itself known as the girl who had been in front of him got his attention. "I don't seem to recall ever seeing you around here before, you one of the newbies?"

"Yes, that is correct, is there a particular reason why you would ask?" Naruto said, he and the girl moving further up in the line, nearing their prepared food.

"Well, not very many newbies really wake up this early, I know I didn't my first night here. Just a little surprised is all." She said, receiving a tray with her food and drink. "Name's Coco, why don't you bring your food and come join my team and I for breakfast?" The now named, Coco offered, nudging her head over to one of the tables where three other students sat, eating their food.

"Ah, I am sorry, but no thank you. If you don't mind, I would prefer to eat alone. There is much I need to think about and plan for the upcoming initiation." Naruto apologized.

"It's fine. Just a word of advice, the teams are selected by some type of object, or the 'relics' as Oz calls them. You and your partner will find will take one, and whatever pair grabs the same relic will form your team. So try and communicate with your friends if you want to be on the same team as them." She advised, Naruto nodding his head in understanding and silent contemplation.

"I see, thank you for the advice. It will prove most beneficial to my planning." Naruto said whilst taking his tray of food, careful not to spill the broth, heading to one of the many empty tables in the cafeteria.

"Good luck!" She said aloud as the distance between the two grew further and further.

Naruto set his tray down on an empty table, retrieving some napkins from one of the dispensers, unfolding it and laying it upon his lap as he held his fork and knife to begin cutting his sausages.

He looked around the cafeteria, finding his attention being grabbed by the windows, and into the bloody sun now rising out from the horizon. His eyes narrowed at the celestial light, but they slowly widened as a dawning realization encroached upon him.

Although he had arrived at Beacon no less than twenty four hours ago, it wasn't until now that he truly took in where he was at as his mind was generally on something else, so rarely was he ever truly in the present. But now, with no real distractions, his mind was now able to completely process and reflect on recent events, and more importantly, how he got there.

He was greeted with memories of his family, of hearth and home, of an old man with bone white hair flowing out like an untamed mane, and burgundy paint marring his face. Unseen by any, save for those Faunus with such acute and precise vision, a small tear leaked from his eye, falling down his cheek until it dripped onto the tray next to his sausages.

 _Five years in the making and now I have reached the first true checkpoint on my journey of life. So much time has been spent preparing myself for this day. Am I truly ready for this?_

 _Of course I am. There is nothing else in the world that I have poured such hard work and determination into, and few others could say the same. No matter, now is the time to prepare myself for the great trial that lies ahead. After all, glory favors the bold, but victory favors the calculating.  
_

 **~ (1): Dark Souls Ost - Dark Sun Gwyndolin**

 **Well this took forever to write, and another day to review and revise, so I'm quite happy to finally be finished with the chapter. Please do note, this is my first time working alone on a story, although I would like to give a shout out to AngryOwl and Alvor the Warhawk, two good friends who have helped give criticism on the story and helped me work out some of the ideas for the future of the story. Please go check them out if you enjoy stories that use a lot of vivid descriptions to help convey the story (at least for Alvor). Anyways, I left a few references, especially to Naruto's unique item, and the OCs that have been introduced this chapter. If you guys have any comments, concerns or questions, please leave a review or PM me and I'll reply as soon as I can (which is usually within 24/48 hours). Oh and one more thing, I've been getting a few messages from some of you guys regarding the fact that Naruto is OOC. Well, first off, if you read the summary, I specifically stated that this is a Dark/War hawk Naruto, implying that he is OOC. But let me tell you, I may not make him out to be the same Naruto many of you recognize from canon, but I will do my best to show how he's become the way he is, without using flashbacks (I won't traumatize you all with those, don't worry).**

 **Auf Wiedersehen, and may you find good fortune upon your travels.**

 ***Update – 07/31/17**

 **I've made several alterations to the chapter, including the addition of another scene, and altering some of the dialogue and narration. Please reread it, and post a review if you haven't already, or better yet, send me a message giving me your thoughts. One thing I would also like to point out is some of the comments/complaints I've been getting.**

 **Firstly, I'd like to bring up the obvious discrepancies between this chapter, and the first one. The first one was co-written (by this I mean primarily written) by Orpheus Kidwell the original owner and my co-author to this story. At some point before or after the next chapter, I might go back and edit that to my liking.**

 **Second, a lot of people have been pointing out to me that I've been making Naruto OOC and I'm aware of this, as well as the fact that his sisters may seem unnecessary or the cliché "the sister(s) are canon Naruto". In a way, this is true, they are based off of canon Naruto, but so is my Naruto. They all represent a specific state of being that is Naruto (mainly by time frame), so for example Tsuki represents Naruto in his younger years; she is brash, hardheaded, stubborn, and very childish. Shiro is based off of Naruto during his late teenage years/early adulthood and is of course, much more mature and coolheaded but still retains that compassion and care that the childhood Naruto did. Naruto on the other hand is quite possibly the opposite of canon Naruto, especially of a Kyūbi-influenced Naruto (feral and aggressive). He is very polite, cautious (overly so in fact), organized, etc. I made him with the intentions of making a more relatable Yami-Naruto.**

 **Third (I swear, this is the last point for this chapter), some people have been telling me that I made Naruto's vocabulary a bit too high-caliber for someone his age and my answer is this; he's devoted nearly all of his time to studying and researching and spent more time with his mentors and tutors than his family outside of what is the equivalent of our Summer vacation. He was forced to expand his vocabulary and basically surrounded himself with nothing but research and knowledge. What few social interactions he's had with more than three people he knows decently well were either with his acquaintances from Sanctum (Hassan, Schrödinger, and Boudicea) or the social gatherings his parents set up when he was younger with other Huntsmen families and some of the aristocrats of the area who had been supporting their family.**

 **There's more to say on this, but that can be saved for another time, as I have a feeling what few of you have decided to come back and read this have likely skipped over this entire message. Regardless, Auf Wiedersehen.**


	3. Induction

**Shadow of War**

 **Chapter III: Induction**

 **Hello everyone, sorry about the long wait on the chapter, I've had a lot of schoolwork to do among other things, and my time to write has been drastically minimized. Regardless, I've finally managed to get this chapter posted, and I'm… somewhat pleased with myself. Anyways, further adieu, let's begin.**

 **[Locker Rooms, Beacon Academy]**

The light of the early dawn seeped through the eastward windows and illuminated the azure banner of Vale on the parallel wall. Naruto found himself partially immersed in this state of calm, enjoying the lack of commotion and noise save for the clap of boot upon stone. However, there was a small part of his mind that seemed to be dissatisfied with how little of anything was going on, but this was quickly extinguished from his thoughts.

Confirming that no one else was in the locker room, Naruto began to channel his aura, his body glowing gently with amethyst energy. He brought his hand up and cleaved down.

The air split opened. Darkness. A rift stretched in the room. It was red and purple and the edges pulsed like a festering wound: the rim was bruised, the world was cut, and the colors moved back and forth like puss from its dying tissue. Tendrils, black as night, poured out of the rift holding a considerable number of commodities.

As they reached closer, the items were revealed to be Naruto's armor, shining like starlight in contrast to the abyssal portal from which they came. He held out his arms and allowed the otherworldly tendrils to assemble his armor. Each piece of armor was placed in its position before being secured with leather cords or connected to adjacent pieces of armor. A few items, however, remained in the 'hands' of the tendrils.

The first was an arming sword, sleek and true, it was a rather simple sword in terms of functionality. A great amount of effort was put into the sword, for the excessive decadence and fine detail could not go unnoticed. The crossguard and hilt were made of brilliant auric and argent metals, the latter being wrapped in a fine silk cloth. Its name, _Durendal_ , was forged into the steel blade, the onyx letters contrasting with the shining steel. With this, Naruto sheathed Durendal into the scabbard upon his left hip.

The second was a stark contrast from the sword, being a bronze crossbow, clearly not of his own making. Being a gift from his mentor after service at the forge, what the bolt thrower lacked in the explicit beauty of the arming sword, it more than made up for in its brutal efficiency, for hidden within the bottom lay a steel warpick, ready to pierce through armor and bone alike. Naruto quickly checked over the switching mechanism, ensuring that the warpick wouldn't randomly release from its position, before snuggly fixing it to his right hip with several leather straps and iron buckles.

However, among these, the one that stood out the most to Naruto - both in function and design - was his silver helm, as undamaged and immaculate as he kept all of his equipment. Gently rotating the helm, he locked it into the bevor and cuirass using several straps and metal links, making sure that it fit snuggly and would not be so easily yanked or knocked off. Standing up, Naruto felt complete once more as he turned to gaze into the interior mirror of his locker.

Peering through the visor of the helm, Naruto was reminded of something from a storybook, adorned in the shimmering full plate, lined with gold links and his armet decorated with a plume of scarlet and pearl feathers. He felt untouchable in his armor as if no man, beast or even the gods could harm him. In his captivation, however, he failed to notice something slip past his limited periphery.

"Sup little bro, admiring your beauty in the mirror?!" Yang practically shouted, slapping the younger boy forward and almost into the locker.

"Why must you torment me so? And how long have you been here?" Naruto asked, his heart starting to race as the shock of the older girl's presence settled.

"Just got here with Rubes." She pointed back to the entrance where her younger sister was sticking her head out and covering her mouth to prevent an outburst of laughter. "And I do it because that's what big sisters do, and since Shiro doesn't, somebody's got to." Yang continued shrugging her shoulders and giving the boy a brazen grin.

Readjusting his plated armor to make sure nothing got knocked out of place whilst muttering something about grudges, before turning back to the still giggling pair of sisters. "So then, where are Shiro and Tsuki, they always seem to group up with you two?" As he stated this, a handful of students seemed to pour into the room seemingly from the cafeteria, if the tangerine haired girl's syrup covered lips had anything to say about it.

"I think they're finishing breakfast, and they told us that you'd likely be here getting your armor so…" Ruby led off, the three of them know the rest.

"Yes well, I'll be sure to change up my schedule to ensure that this doesn't happen again." He gave, however, this was a lie was hoping would dissuade them. For him to alter his schedule that much was to invite untold amounts of chaos and uncertainty within his life. His profession would already bring such unpleasantries, he did not need that in his time outside of it.

"C'mon, really? You, change your schedule? That's as unlikely as me cutting my hair!" Yang pointed out, calling his bluff and stymying the young man as he had nothing to fall back upon.

Naruto gave a snort of derision before giving his valedictory and taking his leave.

"Very well then, but do stop waylaying me every time I have a moment of peace" He rotated on his sabatons and strode forward, his previous confidence returning. He did, however, see a very familiar face that perhaps had not seen his the prior afternoon. As well as bumping into the body of said face.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" A rather repentant voice cried out, having accidentally bumped into the armored man. She stood a few inches above his height - while he was in armor - and her emerald eyes practically glowed with guilt. "I beg your pardon, but is that you, Naruto?"

"Ah hello, Pyrrha Nikos, I see you have decided to come to Beacon much like myself." He stated, the metallic reverberation of his armor doing an excellent job at hiding the distaste in his voice at talking to his rival.

"Indeed," She stated, the guilt leaving her tone. "But I see that you're about to head out so I won't keep you here with small talk, I know how you are with your scheduling."

"My thanks, I bid you farewell, and shall see you upon the field of battle." Although he seemingly spoke with sincerity, his mind began to race, pondering on her last sentence whilst inwardly oblivious to her own goodbye.

She knows about my schedules!? Perhaps she is doing research on me much like I have done to her, is she mirroring my methods of observation and study? As his mental ramblings continued, he robotically walked out towards the shuttle that was to take them to the initiation.

 **[Southern end of the Emerald Forest, Vale]**

Heterochromatic eyes gazed out upon the vast forest below, thousands upon thousands of trees lined the area.

While his eyes observed the new area around him, Naruto's mind began to operate like a machine, as algorithms of possible factors and variables were inputted, and mental cogs and gears turned and ground into one another, quickly developing the perfect strategy. He looked downwards and noticed the iron pad located beneath his feet, along with a single pad beneath each of the students present. He took note of the southward winds, and although they were not constant, they were decently strong and may end up aiding him in his perception.

It took a few minutes, but Ozpin's voice finally pushed it's way into Naruto's thoughts and he was forced to listen.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

 _So the information Miss Coco gave me was true. Excellent, perhaps she can become a reliable source of information? Alas, only time will tell._

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." Apprehending this, with the last major variables coming into place Naruto finalized his plan.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah, um, sir?" A blond haired boy to Naruto's far-right flank posed meekly, while Cardin, who stood directly to Naruto's right, scoffed at the feeble blond.

Naruto could not help but agree. From what he had seen up to this point, the other blond had sorely disappointed Naruto and was unlikely to prove himself as either a capable huntsman, nor a worthy challenger in battle. There was no joy nor challenge in crushing such a weak peasant.

"Good! Now, take your positions." Upon this order, Naruto unlatched his crossbow, quickly folding the lathes inwards and removing the string, he unlocked the brass stock to reveal a metal pole and handle, the trigger of the crossbow, still sticking out at an odd angle. Pulling down upon a bolt upon its side, the large warpick became apparent, the silver metal gleaming in the sunlight.

And then, the pads started to launch their payload.

Turning to Cardin, the two shared a look of respect, wishing each other the best of luck through a silent nod before Naruto was launched forth above the vast forest.

Despite the weight of his armor, Naruto soared far above the treeline; using his momentum to "steer", he aimed himself to a massive tree far beyond the others. Readying his warpick, he held it up, ready to catch himself on one of the mighty oaken branches, few as they were. However, a mighty gale blew from the north, knocking him slightly off his intended course and he came upon the branch but in doing so, attempted to compensate for his off-put course by using extra force. This did not work out well.

His warpick ripped through the bark like a hot knife through butter, and he was taken back by his mistake. Naruto held the pick in one hand as his other began to fumble through his equipment, his mind racing to try and formulate a new plan before he was splattered on the ground.

 _I can try and brace myself for the impact, and use my aura and cuirass to absorb most of the shock. No, that won't work. The aura can only brace for so much, and it would be better to save my armor for the Grimm should I survive. I'd rather die from the fall than be torn apart and devoured by Grimm. But what else is there to do?_

Less than three hundred feet from hitting the ground, Naruto took his chances before sundering reality once more. Subconscious fear took Naruto, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the worse.

 **[Unknown]**

But from his fall, there was no impact, and he did not feel death's embrace.

He opened his eyes, but instead of finding himself surrounded by grass fields and towering trees, he found himself encompassed by an abyss. No light shone yet he could see himself as clear as day. Although this realm was his domain - to his knowledge - he kept his visor closed shut, fearful of what could lie ever yonder.

He noticed that some objects had a different texture than everything else, and moved ever closer to get a better look. He saw much of his stored equipment, several shields and polearms, and even a few sets of armor. But unlike the armor he wore, they did not carry the same luster and beauty, and instead seemed to absorb the darkness around them, much like obsidian. Shrugging it off, he reached out and grabbed a kite shield, but it had an unusual feeling to it.

It felt heavy in his hand, more so than his armor or weapons. It was warm too, and he could feel it through his gauntlets. At first, it was a gentle heat, much like the heat of another's being, but it quickly rose in temperature until it felt as though he were grasping at sun. Needles, hot as fire seemingly jabbed at the skin of his hand, but he refused to release his shield.

Quick to end this pain, Naruto rallied his aura and tore open a gap in the void, to be greeted by a vision of blank white before thudding hard into the vast surface beyond.

 **[Emerald Forest, Vale]**

Like a sword through flesh, the very fabric of reality split apart, and much like the blood within, Naruto spilled out onto the ground. His breaths were short and rapid as he held his shield arm to his heart and lodged his warpick into the dirt Naruto gave himself a minute to catch his breath and fully comprehend what had just transpired.

However, he was soon jolted out of his stupor when the sound of a teenager screaming in terror broke the rustling of leaves and the howl of the wind. Naruto quickly grabbed his warpick and moved into a fast jog - exhausting his energy would get him nowhere except strewn across the forest as easy pickings for the Grimm - and sought the source of the wail.

Moving through some thick brush, Naruto found himself upon a bloodletting; two Grimm an Ursa and Beowulf Minor fighting over a would-be huntsman's entrails. The Ursa had sunk his teeth into his legs, it's paw tearing the other apart, while the Beowulf sunk its claws deep and dragged the upper portion of the boy by the shoulder, separating him in two from the intestines. Perhaps most disturbing - albeit not so much to Naruto - was the fact that the man was still alive.

Going unnoticed by either Grimm, Naruto approached the Ursa, readying his warpick and his shield. Without hesitation, he swung the pick full force into the armored neck of the bear, burying the entire length of his blade into its flesh. For extra measure, he dragged the blade towards himself, ripping the flesh apart and severing nearly half of the beast's throat.

Before it even collapsed into the ground, the Beowulf lunged forth at Naruto who remained steadfast and guarded against the wolf's strikes before bashing its head with the heft of his shield. Stunned, the Beowulf was ill-prepared for Naruto when he flanked right and dropped his warpick down like a guillotine, running right through the beast's skull. Stepping upon the head of the slumped corpse, he pried his pick free and headed over towards the barely alive boy.

"Help me… please." The boy begged, his life quickly fading. Only the greatest of Atlas' cybernetic corp could possibly have the capability of keeping him sustained, but even that was far-fetched. Naruto instead dropped his current weapon and drew his sword from his sheath.

"..." He gave no words, simply closed his eyes, and waited for his suffering to end.

It came quickly as Naruto drove his sword through the boy's heart, granting him a merciful death.

Naruto gave no reaction, he did not cry in sorrow, nor did he break down upon killing the older child. To him, death was a natural part of life, and it was far better to be granted death in battle than in a blank, dreary hospital.

Reaching down, he closed the dead boy's eyes and moved his body over to retrieve his weapon, something to give back to his family. Covered in the boy's gore was a sleek knife, Naruto noticed the mediocre craftsmanship of the dagger before wiping the blood – or as much as possible – off of the blade and storing it in his pocket.

 _It's no wonder why he failed to kill these beasts. Such a useless and pathetic weapon. But if this is how fate plans on thinning the weak and shepherding the strong then I am obliged to follow._

He was roused from his musings when he heard the sound of steel through flesh, and he quickly grabbed his sidearm, attached it to his hip, and jogged off towards the fighting.

As he drew closer, he slowed to a more cautious pace, keeping an eye on his surroundings. The sounds of fighting grew louder as Naruto prepared to join in, hoping to slaughter whatever beasts spilled forth from the bowels of the forest. He sliced through the brush and caught sight of a most interesting situation. Whereas before the beasts had slain their hunter, now the roles had been reversed, to the proper manner of things.

The hunter, or rather huntress, was drenched in blood, yet she did not seem to notice the wounds her foes made. From Beowolves to Boarbatusks, they fell quickly to her blade, cut down like wheat to the scythe.

But there was no grace in her strikes, only savagery and wanton bloodlust like that of the beasts she slew. Gold as the sun, her hair was flung around wildly with each swing of her sword; and in the chaos she failed to notice the knight watching her.

Understanding that getting in her way could easily result in getting crippled - possibly permanently - Naruto decided the best course of action would be to provide range support for the time being. He sheathed Durendal, reattached the stock to his pick, before folding the blade in, drawing out the limbs and readying the cord.

Locked in position, Naruto withdrew a bolt from his pouch, quickly loaded it into the shaft and took aim at a particularly large Ursa Major charging the blonde huntress. Lining his weapon up, he pulled the trigger and loosed his shot into the head of the Grimm, piercing its skull. Its charge faltered as it died and landed with a heavy thud into the dew soaked grass finally getting the attention of the girl. More bolts flew from between the trees, killing the beasts with nearly every shot.

She resumed her festival of slaughter until the remnants of the attack had either been killed or routed, and her murderous prowess finally subsided. Steam rose from her body as her cuts and injuries began to quickly mend themselves; flesh and skin joining together once more. To her, pain was nothing more than a bother and now even the most agonizing of wounds were mere pricks to the skin, for she was Boudicea, the Savage "Queen" of Sanctum, and few things could deter her warpath.

Moving out of the thick brush, Naruto holding his right arm to the front left of his chest, he gave a quick bow to her, refraining from speaking to further attract Grimm. She however, did not have the same idea.

"Well, Naruto. Seems like you were having fun hiding in the bushes over there." She said, as she relaxed her stance and fell into a more casual posture. "Seems like you're becoming more dishonorable every day, doesn't it?"

"How dare you question me on honor you unchivalric brute," Naruto yelled, having forgone his previous notions of keeping silent. "You slay without precision and fight without finesse; with you, there is only the rush of battle and nothing more!"

"I only tease, Naruto. That's something you might need to work on." She said, grinning at his response. "Wouldn't do if you took every joke seriously, now would it?"

He now flushed a scarlet red beneath his helm; something Boudicea could easily tell as she barely tried to contain her thunderous laughter. He mumbled beneath his breath, speaking once more of grudges and reckoning before giving an exasperated sigh.

Trudging further out of the foliage, Naruto turned to face the much, much taller girl.

"Forgive me. My behavior was unbecoming of me." He spoke in a more reserved and almost ashamed manner now, much like a child caught stealing cookies from a jar.

"Let us not speak of this again." The knight said in a hushed tone.

"Heh, we'll see."

With those last words, the two moved on in silence through the forest in search of the relics.

 **Alright that's a wrap up for now. Once again, I apologize for this taking so long, but I'm glad to have finally gotten this done and over with. I know it's not ten-thousand or so words but it takes longer than you think to get three or four thousand done.**

 **Regardless, I implore you to give any criticism you have for the chapter, as I'm always willing to listen. But please, give actual criticism and not just say "it's good" or "this is garbage". Tell me what you think is good or bad about it, or I won't be able to learn from the mistakes I made. Also, there's a reason I released this chapter on this exact day, and I'm sure many of you will figure out why.**

 **Anyways, thanks everyone for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed.**

 **Auf Wiedersehen.**


	4. Formation

**Shadow of War**

 **Chapter IV: Formation**

 **My god, it took several months but here it is. Sorry about it being late, testing and projects, and all the usual shit. But now, it's summer, and I can post some good stuff. So, enjoy.**

* * *

 **[Emerald Forest]**

Golden light shone down from the midday sun, piercing the veil of trees far below. It illuminated the otherwise shadowy forest, providing a somewhat artistic vista of the Emerald Forest, something appreciated not only by the many painters of Vale, but worldwide. However, appearances could easily be deceiving…

Beneath the sun-lit treetops, many flashes of light - coupled with claps of thunder - made them known throughout much of the forest, not only disturbing the sleep of the peaceful fauna, but also rousing many of its Grimm from idleness. Many soon to-be-huntsmen fought for their lives within these forests - yet more than three-fifths of the initiates would either come out horribly scarred or not at all. Swords and axes slashed through bony-armor and Grimm flesh alike, and the crack of firearms and their dust ammunition brought a variety of colored lights to the natural battlefield. And at the same time, claws carved flesh, jaws snapped limbs from their torsos, and what pockets of Grimm that were successful with their battles were savoring the spoils of victory.

Despite all of this, a young man with ash-colored hair and garbed in grey clothing and light armor, moved as swiftly and inconspicuously as possible, avoiding any signs of other huntsmen-in-training or Grimm. Finding cover behind the thick trunks of oak, he rushed as quickly as he could from one to the other, slowing down if he heard movement or commotion nearby. His priorities here and now were short, and he was not looking to make friends or become partners with any of the children here, he only wanted to move through the forest, find his objective, and proceed with the job.

Should be a cakewalk, right?

Albeit the simplicity of this was costly, as it was a test of endurance. He chose not to think too much on it though, concentrating most of his effort in maintaining his stealth. However, his pace stopped suddenly when he planted his foot in something pulp-like, swelling with liquids and fleshy-materials like an unclean wound - which wasn't far off from the truth. Looking down, he saw quite possibly one of the most disgusting things in his life.

It was a body, but whether or not it was that of a human or Faunus was beyond his ability to recognize its features. What he ended up stepping in was the head, its entire facial cavity caving in with no effort, revealing blood-soaked grey and white matter, along with a lake of crimson ichor spilling out of any open orifice. Slowly removing his now drenched boot, Mercury took a moment to look at some of the more ghastly details of the body.

The corpse's light gear - what appeared to be an armored combat vest - was partially melted, its edges still hissing with some kind of acid. The exposed hands and neck of the body were in a far worse condition. The flesh, skin, and sinew were scalded into oblivion, pooling around the body like a red liquid butter. He began to look further though, beyond just the body. He noticed that there were thick claw marks through some of the nearby trees, and that just a little further ahead, the ground began to dip down, and swell with muggy water no more than a foot or two high, forming a marshlands within the Emerald Forest.

Even more disturbing though were the multiple bodies that lay in the water, some with dread and horror etched upon their dying breath, but the majority of them weren't even whole.

Mercury had seen plenty of death in his life, - he was an assassin after all - and committing eighty-five percent of those deaths had quickly desensitized him to the disgust, regret, and afterthoughts that soon followed. But this was simply gratuitous, morbid violence. Something only a soulless being could perform, be it Grimm or otherwise, he hoped not to find out. However, hope for Mercury would prove to be very unreliable.

Something in the distance was trudging through the marshes, its body gaunt and lanky, hunched over like a deformed man. From what Mercury could make out, it was a Grimm - likely the beast responsible for the death, and to add credence to that theory, something large was being forcibly dragged through the water by its end. After a few seconds, whatever it was carrying began to move, thrashing around violently and screaming at the top of its lungs. In return, the beast gave out a blood-curdling screech and swung the still living body in its hands - by what looked to be the head - into the nearby tree, ending the screaming.

It did this several times over until silence reigned over the swamp, and gave one last nightmarish scream at the body before resuming its slog. Only one thing became apparent in Mercury's thoughts:

"Fuck this."

Mercury started to back away slowly, hoping not to get noticed by the monster, but stopped, hearing the trees above him rustle. He remained still, edging closer to the trunk of the nearby tree, steeling himself for combat.

But nothing came, no sound save for the occasional gust of wind and no sight save for the occasional wind-tossed leaf. Still though, he remained unmoving, scanning around for any indicator of movement. A minute went by, and still nothing. If something was there, it wasn't anymore. He turned around, and proceeded to continue - with an added amount of caution - when he heard a light _thud_ on the leaf-covered ground. Without any hesitation, he swung his left foot out wide, striking a beast that otherwise would have torn his throat out.

Like all Grimm, the beast's fur was an ebon black, accentuated by white stripes and sharp spines but was distinctly feline in nature. Its four eyes glowed a menacing red as it bared its needlelike fangs in a hungry "grin", mouth nearly stretching from one end of its semi-circle head to the other. The sharp quills on its back stood erect, intensely vibrating due to the excitement of its owner, while its bifurcated tail thrashed wildly from side to side. Its limbs had enough muscle to hold down most prey that could be found in the forest, and its claws looked sharp enough to burrow through the thickest bark. Perhaps even metal?

"A Ravager, huh?" Mercury said to himself, "Shouldn't be a problem so long as it's just you."

The creature growled in a semi-high pitched tone, its tongue slithering behind - and occasionally in between - its curved teeth, leaving behind a mess of drool that fell to the grass. It edged forward, one paw at a time, seeking to close the distance between it and its would-be prey. As it shifted to the right, Mercury opted to switch his stance to better counter the Grimm, placing his right foot forward and drawing his left a bit further back.

Suddenly, it gave a violent shriek, arching its back before leaping out towards Mercury like a bolt of lightning. Mercury fell to his back, curlings his knees in and catching the beast's midsection, quickly firing his boots' concussion rounds and propelling the Ravager away.

Landing on its paws much like a feline, the Grimm was disgruntled, but not willing to be deterred from its next meal. The Ravager stood out amongst other Grimm as not only a beast that was unnatural and unique in its design, but also one of dangerous cunning that goes beyond the brutish instincts of the Ursa or the raw savagery of the Beowolf. Such was displayed as it leapt back and began to scurry up the nearby tree, driving its talons through the bark and reaching the canopy of the treetops, seemingly blending in with the shadows they casted.

Now becoming a bit more worried than he had been before, Mercury watched with increasing suspense for any sign of movement in the canopy above. He slowly began to take several steps back, his eyes on the trees above, waiting for the beast to lunge forth. With no warning, it shot out of the trees behind him like a bullet, claws raking across his back and damaging his aura, as it immediately leapt to the next tree to continue its method of attack.

"I take back what I said, this is still a problem!" Mercury all but yelled out in indignation. Moments later, - albeit they felt more like eons - it struck again, leaping from the tree above him, but this time he was prepared, and slammed his metal foot into its skull, sending it flying back. The Ravager took little notice of the probable damage to its skull, and, tempered by its lust for blood, charged forward and knocked the boy down before he could completely recover.

The Ravager's bestial face was mere inches away from his own, using the vambraces on his forearms to try and keep the beast at bay. Its teeth were beginning to dig through the material, and if not for his aura, they would have sunk into his forearm.

Then, the crack of a rifle came from his right side, and blood gushed from the beast's head, as a projectile pierced its skull. Mercury shoved the body off of him, as it soon began to disintegrate into ash, carried by the breeze. He stood up, dusting himself off, spotting a rather peculiar individual.

A cat Faunus, with two small feline ears sticking out of her platinum blonde hair, cut in a short, albeit wild manner. She wore a dandelion-colored button-up uniform, coupled with a black tie and skirt, as well as a pair of ivory gloves. However, what caught his attention the most was the mischievous - and quite possibly sadistic - smile that graced her face. That and the still smoking rifle she had slung behind her shoulder. To compliment her bolt-action rifle, she wore two holsters on her hip, each carrying an identical pistol, looking to be an older, Atlesian model, first used during the Great War and likely improved upon by the Faunus girl.

Her cerise eyes glowed in amusement as she addressed her comrade, "Vell, zat vas a close call, no?"

"Yep."

"Right, so zhen. You know who ve have to find?"

"Yes…?" Mercury said with an unparalleled amount of doubt.

She deadpanned, "You don't you remember do you?"

"Probably not, could you remind me?"

She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. It seemed her new comrade would prove to be rather incompetent.

"Ugh, okay zhen, he's about five feet and four inches, slim-to-medium build, pale blond hair, any of zhis ringing a bell?"

Mercury rubbed his chin as he tried to recall ever seeing the man in question. "Uhhh…"

"By zhe gods man, he's zhe only vone who came vearing full-plate for zhe initiation!"

"Yeah, no."

"Okay. Forget it. Just follow me."

"Heh, heh. You got it, boss."

* * *

 **[Elsewhere in the Emerald Forest; 11:00]**

Meanwhile, another duo was continuing their trek northwards to the objective point.

Much like the earlier pair, one was female and the other was male albeit, the woman stood well over a foot (perhaps even two) above the young man. While she was dressed in a mail hauberk along with some fur clothing, he was decked in a full suit of sterling silver armor with a gold trim, further complimented by an ornate plume upon his helm.

Considering there had been at least a couple dozen initiates (and at most two scores), Naruto was frankly surprised that he hadn't ended up with someone else, particularly Schrödinger or Hassan considering their abilities, hell, he would have expected to run into either pair of sisters before he found Boudicea. Nonetheless, he was pleased that it had been with someone who he had known since his time in Sanctum.

If fate and the Gods above had decided to pair him up with someone he not only knew, but operated well with, who was he to question their divine will?

"So, looking to take any jobs?" She asked, breaking the silence of their walk.

"Hmm? Perhaps. Junior had mentioned that he had a personal job for me but other than that, no. "

She quirked her eyebrows up, "That so? Well, when I got to Vale, I got a job from some big shot politician, and he practically handed me five-hundred grand just to gut a dozen people and keep quiet about it."

"Really? Well, I could use a high paying client for future jobs, do you think you could mention my name to him, or better yet, provide me with his information?" Naruto inquired, clearly intrigued with the idea of such a powerful client.

If the client had pockets that deep, it spoke volumes of how much influence and control over others he likely possessed.

"Sure, but I'll tell you more later. For now, all you need to know is that he goes by the "Boss". I'm sure Junior will have some information about him. Speaking of Junior, I heard your sister and her friend wrecked his little night club."

Naruto took a deep breath of air in through his nose as his features began to scrunch up in embarrassment.

"Yes," he breathed out as he spoke, feeling the need to clench the bridge of his nose in shame. "That would be them."

She let out a burst of haughty laughter, clearly relishing her comrade's chagrin. "Well, his little _mission_ might just be for you to pay for the damage," A devilish smile was now plastered onto her face as she looked down at her friend. "We'll see though, huh?"

"Yes. We shall see." However, all embarrassment left his body as he froze up, and gave the signal to halt. Boudicea followed suit and took a knee, crouching low to the earth, and waiting for her partner to give further instruction.

The path ahead forked into two, and he noticed that to his left, a great ruckus of noise was going about, specifically a pair (or more) of girls yelling at one another. However, one could never be too sure, so he removed his helmet for but a moment to get a better idea of what it was.

Naruto quickly recognized one of the voices as his sister, undeniably Tsuki's, for of all the siblings, she no doubt spoke the loudest.

He took a step to his right on the second path where he saw that the land took a steep drop down into the marshes, and while not the dirtiest water he'd seen in his life, he did not want to risk getting bogged down.

Practicality dictated that Naruto take the left path, however practicality also dictated to stay away from those making the most noise; those who drew the most attention oft ended up food for the Beowolves.

 _Damn, this is a difficult choice. On the one hand, I have annoying sister, and on the other hand, filth ridden water. Hmm. Sister? Or filth? Sister, or filth? Hmm._

The noise coming from their periphery grew increasingly louder, a decision needed to be made now.

 _Screw it, I'll take the filthy water._

He fastened his helmet back to his head, and without a moment's hesitation, he leapt down into the water and gave Boudicea the signal to move.

Giving a quick sign of resignation, she made sure her belt was tightly fastened, before riding down the slope into the semi-translucent water. She winced and grit her teeth as she felt the cold water rush up to her calves, but said nothing. However, while she was jumping down into the water, something slithered just outside of Naruto's cone of vision, making almost no sound as it moved through the waters, but any trace of its existence went unnoticed by the pair.

As they began trudging through the marshes, he gave a small thumb up, signalling that they were free to talk.

"So what was back there? Grimm?"

"Not sure, could have been anything." While he spoke with a stoic voice, filled with nothing but complete seriousness, he felt more than just a little ashamed of his earlier mistake. "Better to be safe than sorry, no?"

Despite Naruto giving the all-clear signal, the two remained silent as they moved through the water, cautious of their surroundings.

Naruto's face cringed as he began to feel the moist water soak though his sabatons and the lower portion of his cuisses, slowly dampening his feet as the sides of his toes began to stick together, and when something managed to snake its way into his boots and woolen stockings, he restrained himself from letting out a yelp and simply bared his teeth in distress.

Unbeknownst to them, something began to slowly creep up behind them, its scaly hind legs wading silently through the water. It stopped no less than fifty feet away from them, and reared its head back, for the first time, making a discernible - and for that matter, audible - sound, as greenish-yellow bubbles hissed around its mouth and the accompanying drool began to ooze and trickle down its maw.

A few drops made the smallest of splashes as they collided with the swamp water, but the was ensuing noise: the whistle-like noise of rising steam, much like vapor escaping a teakettle. But the being was not as silent as it would have thought itself to be, for its quarry quickly took action.

Saying nothing, Boudicea grabbed the young knight's pauldrons and shoulders, pulling him closer to her - as though it were a loving embrace - before she activated her semblance. Whatever was behind them, finally released its payload, upchucking no less than a gallon of its fetid stomach content, leaving a trail of steam in its wake.

The impact came, and a cascade of steam shot up from the pair of huntsmen-in-training. As the smoke - or rather, the vapor - cleared from the area, it revealed Boudicea shielding the shorter man, her skin and even her clothing for that matter were like darkened granite, and although some traces of steam continued to rise from her back, she and her partner were unharmed. Letting go of him, Boudicea deactivated her semblance, and quickly drew her pair of broadswords as she turned to face her opponent, intent on rushing them before they could vomit again.

Upon turning around, even she, the Warrior Queen of Sanctum, felt a bit disgruntled at the sight before her and Naruto too caught sight of the beast.

It was ghastly and hideous in appearance, further accentuated by its tall, gaunt figure, enough to make any greenhorn huntsmen quiver in their boots and think twice about staying to fight. It was serpentine, no, draconic in nature regardless of just how unnatural it was, with heavy amounts of bone like armor jutting out of its scaly obsidian hide, drenched and covered with bits and pieces of moss and bark shielding its ruinous body.

Its arms were long, with two joints between its wrists and shoulders, extending down past the surface of the waters while its hands curled back like that of an ape, and at the end of each were long bony fingers, but they were not tipped with massive claws like that of an eagle, but rather with sharp bone-white nails, like that of an unkempt human. But they were wickedly sharp, and looked more akin to thin serrated spears than a bad manicure. Additionally, a pair of thin, vestigial wings were hooked into the middle of its arched back with thin spines sprouting out of its vertebra to separate the two, and it slowly lifted its digitigrade hind legs revealing four talons, that curved up and then slightly inwards like meat hooks.

But what made it so abominable was its head, like something pulled straight out of a huntsman's worst nightmare. Its long neck hung low enough that the head was just above the level of its prey. The face was somewhat bulbous, and very oddly rounded, with two antenna-like structures popping out behind its drooping jowls in lieu of ears. The beast's eyes were a glassy white, despite the fact that it was a Grimm - if the bony armor and black skin were anything to go off of - and for all intents and purposes, should have been a bloody crimson. Even without the cruel red eyes of its kind, it only served to unnerve the pair, as though they were staring into the eyes of a corpse. Worser still, its central and standard incisors were flattened like that of a human, but massively disproportionate to the rest of its teeth, all of which were shaped like horribly mangled swords, no doubt covered in some manner of noxious poison, or simply chunks of rotting and infected flesh caught between teeth during its feeding times.

Naruto had heard tale of this foul beast early on in his childhood, in a poem his grandfather used to tell him before he went to bed, a terrible dragon that roamed the forests and terrorized the locals of the countryside, till a man cut it down with an enchanted sword.

"Jabberwock…"

The Grimm gave a loud hiss as it began to lurch slowly forward, its head snaking from left to right in a sluggish, almost hypnotic fashion.

Naruto and Boudicea in response began to slowly walk to different flanks, Naruto taking the left, and Boudicea taking the right.

"Your fucking head is mine!" Boudicea roared furiously as she charged forward, quickly becoming a whirlwind of savage blades and wanton bloodlust.

The Jabberwock in turn stopped its rhythmic movements, pulling its head upwards and giving a blood-curdling howl, launching itself at the barbaric woman. Naruto on the other hand took the chance to switch out his gear while the beast was distracted, for neither his sword nor his warpick would do him any good here, and the crossbow lacked the raw power to do anything significant against something like this.

He once again cut a rift in the world, activating his own semblance to exchange his weapons and shield for something more useful. Throwing his sword, shield, and warpick into the void, he then reached in, and pulled out a much lengthier weapon.

Its shaft was made of ironwood, reinforced with steel, and wrapped in fine black and gold leather. On top lay a mighty poleaxe lined with gold on its edges and a golden imprintation of his personal symbol in the center, while running parallel was a sharp hook no longer than eight inches and no more than two inches thick, and going perpendicular to both of them was a four inch spike. On the opposite end of the pole was the small, silver flanged head of a war mace, meant for debilitating strikes against armor and bones alike.

 _Alter Ruhm_ , or Old Glory as Naruto called it, was among his best options for something with such size and mass, and he had no doubt that it would cut this beast down with ease.

Boudicea continued to distract the Grimm, diving inwards when it lunged at her with its clawed hands or distorted mouth, and slashing at its stomach and legs, slowly chipping down its blackened scales, revealing its soft squishy flesh. Soon enough though, its gaunt arms managed to reach her, and when they did, its malformed nails drove deep into her arm, splintering her hauberk and digging into her flesh.

Although they weren't claws meant for rending thick flesh like those of Beowolves, a Jabberwock's nails were fine and sharp enough to get through most material, and they sunk into Boudicea's flesh like filth covered steak knives, dripping and oozing a foul green substance - whether it be from the swamp or the corpses, Boudicea did not want to know. She bit her tongue, refusing to make a sound as she drew her free broadsword and repeatedly stabbed at the offending forearm, forcing it to let go. Once it reeled back from its own pain, Boudicea began to feel the full extent of her own, blood spilling out of her left shoulder, and the stinging pain was so agonizing, it was as though salt had already been thoroughly rubbed into the wounds.

Naruto began to march as quickly as he could in his full set of plate armor. With his right hand extending to the upper end of the shaft, he then flipped the poleaxe one hundred-eighty degrees, its hook now facing out towards the draconic Grimm. He drew his weapon back to his right, the hook gleaming in the sunlight as though it were blessed by the divine, before he gave a thunderous roar of his own, swinging it leftwards with enough force that it pierced straight through the Grimm's right hock, giving a sickening squelch as it did so.

The Jabberwock in turn brayed loudly, screaming in pain as the blade tore into its leg, before twisting itself and throwing its lanky arm at the boy in a hasty attempt to knock him back. Naruto twisted his polearm - the hook now forcefully 'restructuring' the bones in its leg - and swung the counterweight into the beast's pain-stricken attack, the flanged head smacking into its wrist.

With the creature stunned, and not being one to waste an opportunity, he ripped the poleaxe out of the Jabberwock with haste, taking a step back before shifting the whole of his weight into his left side, slamming forward into the beast's now exposed flank. With the drake now completely focused on him, he switched into a defensive stance, using the axe and mace ends to parry its attacks, and the spike to maintain distance.

It pulled its gangly arm back, preparing to throw another right hook at Naruto, and as usual the knight arced his poleaxe towards the dragon's incoming attack. Unlike before though, it did not withdraw when the axehead slid into its already cut apart forearm, and instead, latched onto it, grabbing the shaft of the polearm and heaving it upwards, attempting to wrench it free of Naruto's grip. Soon the two were locked in a vicious session of tug-of-war, the game's combatants violently doing whatever they could to gain the upper hand. Naruto began to strike wherever he could with his legs given the chance, kicking the beast's shins and feet while the Jabberwock launched its head forward snapping its grotesque jaws and swiping at him with its free hand.

Their "game" quickly ended as something thick coiled itself around Naruto's leg, forcing the young man off his balance and head first into the murky swamp. Though it wasn't deep, it was just a little shy of a foot of water, and he felt - for frankly the first time in a long time - an abject sense of panic as it all rushed in through his visor and into his face, blasting his pince-nez glasses off his nose.

He no longer thought of Alter Ruhm, now it was confusion that coursed through his mind as the lack of any vision or solid ground began to dominate his thoughts.

Above, the Jabberwock used its tail to drag the boy into the swamp, finally wrenching free the weapon and tossing it aside. With its targets now - or in the process of being - incapacitated, the Jabberwock, even if only filled with malice and a desire for death, began to lust and salivate at the mere thought of food. Eager to feast, it swung Naruto into the nearby tree, resulting in a purple, ethereal barrier surrounding the boy to shatter like a glass pane.

With his aura destroyed, the Jabberwock had a faint interest as to whether or not the man-thing's "shiny skin" would make a difference in flavor, and when the beast's gaping maw widened further to tear a chunk of this "polished skin" it met a bulwark resistance as bone clashed with thick steel plates.

Although it didn't bite down incredibly hard, its teeth were oft sharp enough to rip through any of the thick skin its prey came with. After a few more attempts, it gave up trying to bite through the knight's skin and instead opted for an alternative method. Like before, pestilent bubbles began to form around its lips, popping and hissing like grease on a hot iron skillet as they dripped into the water.

In an odd act of primitive excitement, the Jabberwock began to drag its talons through the muddy ground, as though it were stomping its feet, all the while snaking its head from side to side in a far more aggressive manner. It was almost as if it was celebrating.

The Grimm's jubilation however, was cut short when a blade found itself lodged into the lower side of its neck. Out of shock or perhaps pain, the Grimm preemptively released its scalding hot vomit, the embedded blade dragging its head anywhere but its intended target, slowly gnawing away at the thick bark of the nearby trees.

"Just die already you bleedin' son of a whore!" Boudicea seethed out, her left arm now held in a crude sling made from shredded cloth and fur, her other arm preoccupied with attempting to remove the beast's head. She had jumped on the Jabberwock's back, using the sprouting wings as something to put her feet on, as she managed to pull the Grimm back, saving her partner from a gruesome and no doubt disgusting fate.

But she wasn't the only one taking advantage of the Jabberwock's preoccupied state.

* * *

 **[Emerald Forest; 13:00]**

"C'mon, move it Mercury, ve don't have all day."

"Fuck that. I'm not going through the water, not after what I saw was in there."

The two newly grouped partners had stopped just short of an abrupt rise in elevation, where the area seemed to just lift off around the water, with seemingly no way around besides through the waterlogged wetlands. Schrödinger, definitely the shorter of the two, sat upon a low-hanging branch, kicking her legs back and forth while she rested her hands behind her head. On the other hand Mercury, the taller and possibly older of the two, was standing up, his arms crossed in dissatisfaction much like a petulant child who was arguing with their parents.

"It is ze only vay ve can get through here and to ze relics, now do you want to get into Beacon or not?"

"I don't care, what I saw in there was enough to tell me that going into these Gods forsaken waters is a fucking death trap."

Schrödinger gave a small sigh, her feline ears flattening on her scalp as she did so. Perhaps if trying to convince him like this wasn't going to cut it, she would need to use a more, unscrupulous method of persuasion.

"Vell zhen, who's to say zat it doesn't go outside of the vater, hmm?" She spoke with a sly and rather melodramatic tone in her voice, trying her damndest to keep a giggle from slipping out. "Or vat if zhere are more unsightly creatures zhan your boogeyman out and about, just vaiting for us to get lost in these voods? Besides, I don't think zat ze boss lady would be very happy if ve failed to even get past ze entrance exams, ja?"

Now it was Mercury's turn to sigh in frustration as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Fuck it. Fine, let's go. I'm not getting burned alive today."

"Yay!" Without warning Schrödinger threw her arms out in joy, a bright and cheery smile going from ear to ear gracing her face. She hopped off the branch and onto the ground, brushing her skirt and legs off upon landing.

She took a dramatic pose and pointed forward into the marshland, her cheshire smile somehow growing wider, "Let's go zhen! C'mon Private Mercury, march!" as she proceeded to march into the waters in a mock-lockstep, seemingly unaffected by her damp surroundings.

He shook his head, his shoulders hung low in defeat as he began his trek through arguably the most dangerous area in the Emerald Forest. "I fucking hate my job sometimes."

After about half an hour of slogging through the bog, they came upon an elevated island, its ground covered in bits of bark and dirt - that finally wasn't soaked - and decided to take a short rest before they continued their journey to the relics. The moment Mercury stepped upon dry land, he propped himself up against a nearby tree, took off his boots and drained all of the excess water, hoping that having his feet soaked in it wouldn't short circuit any of his internal wiring.

Quite the opposite, Schrödinger took point, climbing onto one of the higher branches of the same tree and scouting out the area, her second set of ears now fully erect and at attention.

"This really fucking sucks," Mercury began to mumble to himself, "I gotta get all this fucking water out of my boots and then I gotta go back into the swamps. Fantastic. I can't wait to do it another ten times."

The cat Faunus' ears began to twitch in irritation as her ability to pick up noise was being interfered with by her less than enthusiastic teammate. "Vill you be quiet, I am trying to listen for the Grimm zat you vouldn't shut up about earlier." Mercury said nothing, only frowning as he started to pick out the leaves and twigs that had managed their way into his boots.

" _Your fucking head is mine!"_

It was barely there, but someone - not too terribly far either - had just shouted, and if Schrödinger could put a face to that tone and octave, it'd have to be Boudicea. She dropped down, catching herself on the branch before letting go and fell to the ground with nary a sound.

"Mercury, ve're leaving."

"What, already?"

"Ja, now let's move. Ve haven't got all day." She harried, sliding the rifle off her shoulder and pulling the lever back to reveal its ammunition: her standard 8x57mm spitzer rounds, meant to scythe through unarmored or lightly armored combatants. She took brief note of how many bullets she had left in the cartridge before pulling the bolt handle down and forward, rewarding her with a loud yet satisfying click, and ran eastwards.

Hastily putting his boots back on, Mercury rushed to keep up with his fleet-footed companion, one of his boots tied in a barely presentable knot. But it was good enough for the time being.

They continued along the island, and after another five minutes of hiking, found what they were looking for.

Although they did not find the berserker woman, they found a knightly figure - no doubt Naruto - gallantly holding his own against a hulking monster whose very presence caused the two observers to actively keep their last meal from coming back up. The very smell it gave off was horrendous, like a thousand rotting, maggot-infested corpses left outside on a blazing summer afternoon.

Mercury gulped down a ball of spit as he felt the same dread wash over him as before; it was a Grimm, however far more demonic and gut wrenching than any he had ever encountered in his seventeen years as an assassin.

Contrarily, Schrödinger did not linger on the image of the beast and instead, quickly ejected her partially full magazine and replaced it with a new cartridge filled with a far more weighty set of bullets, marked by their red circular groove caps. **(1)**

Taking a knee, she lined up her rifle with the beast's head, but its constant movements would make any chance of piercing its skull nigh impossible to do in a single shot. Especially if it decided she was a far more worthy target than Naruto.

She felt a slight tinge of guilt rise in her gut as she watched Naruto get dragged into the shallow depths of the fens. When it yanked Naruto's halberd from his hands, it threw it without a care, yet it did so with such force that the axe head buried itself deep into the ground, and not too far either. But it was when it decided to play with its food that Schrödinger took her chances.

She placed the buttplate to her shoulder, took off the rifle's safety, and as she aimed down the rifle's iron sights, she inhaled slowly as she prepared to pull the trigger and end the beast's life here and now. Until her efforts were met with a futile and rather anticlimactic click.

It was jammed.

The cat Faunus once again pulled back the bolt handle revealing that some debris had gotten caught in the cartridge. She drew a thin metal pick, frantically trying to remove the bits of surprisingly thick pieces of dirt that had jammed up the rifle's firing mechanism. When Schrödinger looked up, she was greeted with the sight of Naruto being chewed on like some kind of toy by a rabid hound, and promptly doubled her efforts.

Meanwhile, Mercury stood waiting, drawing his left foot back and lowering his body as he prepared to charge and take the beast by surprise. Seeing this kid manage to fend off the beast had brought back some degree of courage into Mercury, who eventually came to the conclusion that a combined effort from the three of them could kill it.

That three soon became a four, as the aforementioned berserker jumped onto the Grimm's back and began repeatedly stabbing its neck.

 _Now_ it was the time to strike.

* * *

 **[Emerald Forest; 14:00]**

Darkness.

All Naruto could see in the scant few seconds upon his awakening were darkness, and as he came to senses, he began to piece together what was happening.

His helm was filled to the brim with water - which tasted quite horrible as well - and he could feel the volume of water slowly lowering as it leaked from the slit of his visor and the bottom of his bevor, and he couldn't seem to feel his glasses on his nose where it should have been either, although he did feel something solid rubbing up against his chin. Perhaps there was still hope that he could see over long distances after all.

There was some kind of commotion going on beyond the safety and comfort of his metal carapace, but Naruto could hardly hear anything besides the calming deafness of the water in his ears, much less be expected to care.

However, something managed to pierce through the rumbling silence. Something loud. He could barely make it out through the murkiness of the water, but he saw it. Flashes of light and fire followed by booming claps of thunder. He fell to the ground while some horrific manner of creature screeched in pain, as something far larger than the light and thunder slammed into it before rebounding and running towards him.

He was being dragged once more, but this time it was not beneath the water. Naruto could make out little else out besides the bright beams of light that fell from the sky past what seemed to be trees, until his savior propped him up against a nearby tree and headed back to into the fight. The water had now almost completely drained from his helmet, save but a few ounces still left in the cracks and crevices, yet he could still hardly breathe. Soon though, his helmet was forcefully taken off, and something hard landed in his stomach.

All the water and air that clogged his throat was forced out, and he could finally breathe once again. He felt soft hands slapping his face, as though trying to wake him up from a nightmare, and he could see a pair of lively carnelian eyes staring back at his own.

"I zhought ve had lost you zhere for a minute. Glad to see zat you're still in von piece." The central Atlesian accent quickly identifying whom his new savior was.

"Yes, I did as well till you saved me. By the way, I wasn't aware you were so spry on your feet to kick something like that." He stated with more than a hint of surprise as he pointed out the foul beast that had nearly taken his life, just noticing the other figure fighting it. "Or it was someone else…"

"Vell, no time to dawdle, ja? Just rest easy until ve get done." She said, handing him a clean handkerchief and his pince-nez before grabbing her rifle and running off to the fight to take aim once more.

Naruto paused for a moment as he watched one of the few people he considered an acquaintance run off to finish the mess he started, idly cleaning his pair of glasses, and checking for spots.

 _Am I really going to let them do all the work while I just sit here and twiddle my thumbs?_

What Naruto was not expecting however, was that he'd get a whisper in return.

 _ **No… you're not.**_

It was dark and almost malignant, yet it was filled with such conviction that it couldn't have belonged to any other but himself. His expression hardened like stone as he began to glare down at his reflection in the lenses.

 _No, I shall not sit idly by like a helpless child while my comrades fight on. As a proud heir of the Uzumaki and Namikaze lines, I will not dishonor my ancestors by allowing my allies to clean up my mess. It is high time I lived up to my name._

Sliding his glasses back onto his nose, he hurriedly used the piece of fabric to clean out the interior of his helmet, before placing it on and locking it into place. He slowly rose to his feet, his confidence returning to him as he felt a new weight upon his shoulders. Yet it was not a weight that burdened him, rather, it was one that inspired him to commit grander acts of valor and strength: the eyes of his ancestors were upon him.

And he would rather die than disgrace his lineage, lest they haunt him in the realms beyond for his shoddy work as a knight and huntsman.

Now on his feet, he propelled himself forward with such fervor that it very easily may have put Ruby's sugar-fueled antics to shame. His eyes scanned through his visor for his mighty weapon, and upon finding it he rushed forth, pulling it from the ground without so much as a second to stop.

As his run now became a barreling charge, his speed did not falter even as he moved through the water, be it through his aura or perhaps a combination of sheer willpower and adrenaline. Regardless, his body seemed to glow with an ethereal if not divine light that thrummed with energy.

Meanwhile, his target was taking shots from the trees while simultaneously attempting to deal with two competent huntsmen-in-training, which was not where a Grimm wanted to be, even if said Grimm in question was an Alpha Jabberwock.

It became cautious as the angry female and fast male began to encircle it and strike at its sides whenever the shooter fired. Of course, the Jabberwock had enough sense in it to use its wings as a shield, but they were being chipped apart with each volley of fire that came, shredding them like wet paper. Regardless, it still had a full arsenal of weapons at its disposal, ready to melt, rend, choke, beat and stamp out any resistance that stood in its way.

But even as an Alpha, with years if not decades of experience of hunting man-things and animal-things - and everything in between - in the forest and marshlands, it was not prepared for what was to come.

" **I am the Unwavering Sword of my Kingdom,** " The knight roared as he smashed into the Jabberwock's back like a train colliding into some poor sod, sending it tumbling to its knees with a cry of pain.

" **The Everlasting Shield of my People,** " With the Grimm's attention now solely focused on him like before, he did not flinch when it tried to strike at him, only to be repelled by his intensified aura. He took a step back before slamming the flanged counterweight of his poleaxe into its gut, causing it to cough up a ball of acidic saliva that bubbled in the water.

Even his companions, who found themselves more than a little surprised at his attack, felt empowered by his words, as though their aura and vigor were returned to them tenfold their original strength. Boudicea rushed forward, slashing at the back of the Jabberwock's knees, while Mercury leapt up onto its back before firing a concussive blast from his legs, sending it toppling over. More bullets flew from the treeline, piercing flesh and bone with ease, as the beast could no longer use its wings as a shield.

" **The Instrument of the Divine,** " Its death imminent, the draconic monster coiled its head inwards, before aggressively launching it out in an attempt to catch the knight unawares, only to be met with the very same hook that had earlier crippled its right leg, piercing into the side of its jaw.

The Grimm gave an awful bray as Naruto pulled his polearm back, cleaving a section of its jaw in twain. Barely clinging to whatever unholy traces of life it possessed, the beast convulsed as though it were trying to regain its bearings but was physically incapable of doing so, reaching out with its disfigured hands to grab a hold of something, anything to use as a crutch upon which to stand.

Naruto flipped his poleaxe; the auric and ebony metals still shining through its new coat of muck and grime, before holding it high above his head, the axe gleaming in the light.

" **And the Righteous Hammer of my Liege and Lady!** " He finished his chant, bringing the axehead down with all the force he could muster, rewarded with a sickeningly sweet squelch as the blade sundered the dragon's skull. Its twitching and convulsions stopped, and soon enough, its hands and legs began to disintegrate, blown eastwards by the gentle winds. The energy that had rushed through the group was dying down as Naruto's ethereal glow began to fade.

All four of the teenagers stood for a second, staring at the remains of the Jabberwock disappear before their eyes. Their idleness was interrupted when Boudicea suddenly marched over to the front of the dragon's head, and began to saw away at its neck like a surgeon sawing through bone. Using the antenna as a grip, she pulled with all her strength until the head was torn clean off.

"I fucking told you I was going to take your head, now didn't I? Fucking bleedin' bastard." She mocked the still dissipating remains of her foe before tossing it aside.

"Well," Mercury stated to break the silence that Boudicea had further created with her actions, "That was fun."

"Depends on what you define as _fun_." Naruto stated calmly as he panted throughout each sentence, "If by _fun_ you mean slaying an Alpha Jabberwock and then cutting its head off to laugh at its death, then yes. I'd agree."

"Well, we probably should get going. No use just waiting around here for more Grimm to show up. Come on, we should continue together northwards to the relic site."

Nodding, the new pair quickly stretched their muscles as Schrödinger hopped down from her sniper's perch and into the water.

The four proceeded to walk onward, leaving the borders of the swamp and finally reaching dry land.

"So Naruto, right?" Mercury started, attempting to break the silence once more, "What were you saying when you went in and beat the hell out of that Grimm?"

"Oh that? It was the motto for the old kingdom of Vale's military. Before the huntsmen became established after the Great War."

"And you know that, why?" The older boy asked, a bit confused as to why someone so young cared so much about something so old.

"It's cause he's a nerd." Schrödinger whispered, lightly elbowing Mercury in the process.

Naruto's head quickly pivoted towards her direction, "Quiet you, or I'll see to it that you're cleaning my armor and weapons for… actually, you know what? Never mind. Loec only knows what you would do to my magnificent armor." His ire suddenly shifting into dissatisfaction, as he huffed the last part and walked on. **(2)**

Schrödinger could barely stifle a giggle at her friend's childishness, holding her hands up to her mouth like a schoolgirl. Even Boudicea who was still clutching her arm in pain and Mercury cracked a smile, but said nothing more.

After a few more minutes of walking through the forest, the silence was broken again, but this time by their resident knight.

"But… thank you. For saving us that is." Naruto spoke in a hushed tone, unable to look anywhere else but forward for fear of embarrassment.

Although the rest of the group didn't hear it, Schrödinger's ears twitched with satisfaction, and she continued to maintain her jovial grin as they continued their march.

* * *

 **[Relic Site, Emerald Forest; 14:45]**

When the group of four reached the temple, the first thing they noticed were the remnants of a battle. A rather large battle at that. While the rest of his party went to the rotunda to choose from the remaining relics, Naruto went astray, and took a close examination of the surrounding area.

As he walked over the grassfields to the nearby ruins that seemed to stretch over a foggy chasm and between where he was and the mountain, he nearly stumbled into a pothole. He noticed that there were thick holes dotting the grass, as though a great many spears had pierced the earth, along with scorch marks here and around the collapsed stone bridge, but the blast size and consistency of the marks indicated that they were from explosions and not a stream of flame. The nearby ruins as well seemed to be crumbling before their very eyes, bit by bit. A likely result of heavy damage to the structure, but the lack of the aforementioned scorch marks on the damaged areas likely meant that something else caused the destruction. Something quite large. Perhaps it had been a Nevermore?

"Hey Naruto!" Boudicea shouted out, holding her hands around her mouth to trumpet her voice. "C'mon, let's grab the relics and leave!"

"Yes, yes, coming."

Upon arriving at the stone temple, he noticed the dozens of pedestals holding up an identical number of chess pieces, half being an enchanting gold while the other half was as dark as charcoal. There we two of every piece for each color: two kings, two queens, two bishops, etc. A handful of them were missing, including the black bishops, the gold knight, and the gold rook pieces.

"So these are the relics then, hm?" Naruto stated, hands held behind his back as he inspected several of the massive chess pieces, each about as large as his forearm. He came over to the black side, finally resting his gaze upon the black knight pieces. "Yes, these will do just fine."

Mercury and Schrödinger followed suit, grabbing the other black knight relic and trailing behind their comrades.

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy; 16:30]**

After they had retrieved their relics, the pairs of students were then transported back to Beacon Academy via Bullheads.

When Naruto and the rest of his group had finally arrived, the sun had already begin to set, giving off bright vermillion shades of light, piercing through every glass pane in the school facing westward. They were given a chance to shower off in the locker rooms and tidy up for dinner, and afterwards, they were all to head down to the auditorium for the ceremony.

Upon entering the locker rooms, Naruto had noticed that a few of the huntsmen-in-training who had made it back seemed shell shocked, their eyes like empty orbs of sorrow that just stared aimlessly into a wall or at their feet. They were trembling as well, some were muttering sweet nothings or mad ramblings to themselves, thinking that what they saw in forest hadn't been real, and was just some kind of illusion or a bad dream.

 _Bah. What did they expect? Nothing but riches and glory, that there would be no danger? How foolish could these children possibly be?_

Naruto held neither compassion nor sympathy for those who were ill prepared for the dangerous road ahead. They joined Beacon under the presumption that their lives were essentially forfeit, hell they were even required to sign several waivers that indicated that the Academy would not be held responsible for the deaths of students off campus.

But such frustrations soon dissipated when Naruto was greeted with steaming hot water, cleansing him of the many impurities that had tainted his skin during the initiations. After showering, Naruto went back out to the locker rooms, only to find that the majority of those students who were out there - likely suffering from the early stages of some form of PTSD - had left. To where, Naruto could not say, but then again, he really didn't care. He did however, enjoy that he had the lockers to himself, the rest of his party no doubt finishing some time before him.

For the fourth time today, Naruto split the very fabrics of reality, allowing the tendrils that had constantly maintained his equipment to spill forth from the amethyst portal.

 _Hmmm. What should I wear for the ceremony? Nothing too dull or bulky, no. Ah! I know exactly what to wear._

Responding to his thoughts, the tendrils sunk back into the void before pulling out a new set of armor, similar to his earlier set, yet in many aspects, quite different.

It too was made of a sterling silver, yet it seemed more ornate. Thin plates of gold helped to separate and divide each piece of armor, particularly around his gauntlets where each finger was embossed to form beautiful geometric patterns. A linen surcoat was worn atop his cuirass, decorated with the heraldry of his two families: the Namikaze symbol of a mighty hurricane in the upper left corner, the Uzumaki symbol of a violent whirlpool in the bottom left, and his own coat of arms in the very center, all of which were embroidered in gold upon a dark azure field.

The plated armor beneath was nowhere near as thick as the armor he previously wielded, being far lighter, but it was still capable of providing him with ample protection. More elaborately made was his helm, another armet, however it was given a fine golden trim to the bevor, showing off the exceptional enameling in the form of small fleur-de-lis', and other fanciful designs that only accentuated the armor's - as well as its creator's - flamboyant nature. In addition, its plumage was removed in lieu of a laurel wreath that too was built of auric metal.

Quite frankly, this was one of Naruto's favorite sets, and despite the fact that Naruto was a pragmatist, he did occasionally feel the desire to show off a little of his more creative and extravagant side. Although he was never one to truly delve into the temptations of decadence, he did enjoy a quick taste of its salacious offerings every now and then.

He decided to keep his helmet off - no point in wearing a helmet to dinner - and had it attached to the front of his buckle, where he would normally keep his sword sheathed which, now that he thought about it, wasn't the most horrific idea. One never knew when an assassin or Grimm may attempt to barge into the school grounds.

Finally feeling as though he were presentable to the rest of society, Naruto marched out of the lockers with a spring in his step, and although he did not grin like Schrödinger or Ruby would have, there was a clear expression of pride in his face. Not arrogance or overconfidence, but pride at his accomplishments on this day - even if it had been with the help of allies.

Upon entering the cafeteria, he instantly spotted the massive, hulking form of Cardin Winchester who was going to sit down at one of the nearby tables. Surprisingly, he also noticed the petite form of Weiss Schnee who seemed to be holding a conversation with the giant. Across the way, he saw Ruby, Yang, the sulking girl he had met the other night, _Pyrrha,_ and a few others that he did know.

He saw that Boudicea, his sisters, and _Hassan_ weren't anywhere to be found. The former was likely being kept in the infirmary for a bit at the request of Glynda to get her wounds properly treated.

Quickly making up his mind, he went to the line, ordered his own food, and proceeded to sit down next to behemoth and what was likely his soon-to-be team. Naruto's very own team soon joined him, and their table promptly filled with tales of their journeys through the Emerald Forest, as well as a few family stories, and the occasional embarrassing story, as Schrödinger, Mercury, and two of Cardin's teammates - Dove and Russell he believed - became the life of the table, cracking jokes and spreading amusement to everyone else. They spoke and laughed together as though they were a well-acquainted war party having a grand feast.

When Naruto looked over to Cardin he noticed that the sadness and anger that had filled the teenager before was now gone, replaced by uproaring laughter and a jovial face. Even Naruto, who was usually rather quiet during meal times, spoke out on occasion, and found himself in frequent bouts of laughter.

"So when we came and found Boudicea and Naruto," Mercury had started off, practically standing on his seat as he began his story. "She was out of commission, and our big guy over here," he said pointing his thumb to Naruto, "Was a fucking chew toy for the Grimm, till we got in there, and saved his ass. We drag him outta there, and he looks like complete shit, but out of nowhere, he gets right the fuck back up, and just tackles it to the ground!"

Everyone roared in laughter, with Cardin giving a prideful slap to Naruto's shoulder. "Nice fucking job buddy."

"Oh posh, it was nothing more than adrenaline." Naruto stated, his much more shy nature coming out into the fold.

"Adrenaline? It was anything but adrenaline. He was glowing fucking purple! Dude looked like he was about to fuck some shit up!"

"Hey, you seem to be forgetting the part where I ran up from behind and stabbed the ever loving shit out of it." A new voice entered the scene as Boudicea, her left arm wrapped in thick bandaging and a tray full of food in the other. Everyone seemed ecstatic as she joined the table, raising their glasses in excitement much like mugs of ale at a toast.

Naruto scooted to the side a little bit, nudging Cardin leftwards to make some room for the barbarian girl. But, while the rest of the table continued listening to Mercury's storytelling, Naruto decided to lean in and talk privately with Boudicea. "How is your arm doing?"

"It stings like a bitch, but that's probably just the rubbing alcohol at this point." She responded quietly in turn, giving a gentle rub of the sore area. "But thank you for asking, I was starting to think that you had forgot about it."

"Me, forget about something!?" He spoke incredulously, raising an eyebrow for further emphasis. "It seems like you were the one who has forgotten my mental acuity."

Despite his armor, he was not prepared for her to wrap her bandaged arm around his neck, using the inside of her elbow to pull him in for an affectionate if not sibling-like hug. He squirmed in her grasp, as to whether she had intended for her vice grip to be as strong as it was, or if it was just a byproduct of her immense strength, Naruto did not know. And he certainly stopped caring as he slowly felt the life drain from his body. Likely the former as she seemed to grin with delight.

"You're just so fucking adorable whenever you get this cocky."

Upon that, she released him, and he grabbed a hold of the table gasping for air like a fish out of water, each breath greedily gulping down whatever oxygen he could get.

Previously unbeknownst to them, the Schnee heiress had been sitting parallel to them, and looked at them with not contempt, but perhaps dissatisfaction? "Ahem." She coughed to get their attention.

Before Naruto could respond, Boudicea's impulsive nature took over and she decided to answer the Schnee's cough. " _Yes, princess?_ " The contempt was seething through her question, as she looked about ready to break the table in half, along with the heiress.

"Oh nothing, I just couldn't help but notice the way you seemed to enjoy crushing the life out this gentleman's body. Of course, what else would I expect from a Mistralian brute?" She spoke the latter part with condescension, crossing her legs under the table as she looked up with a smug smile and shook her head in mockery.

Boudicea began to slowly rise out of her seat, balling her hands into fists as veins seemed to hug the skin of her arms. Her teeth were clenched in frustration, and her deathly stare burrowed holes into the other girl.

"Oh for the love of the Gods," Naruto stated in irritation, having had enough of the two girls' quarreling. Pointing to the Schnee girl and then Boudicea, he spoke, "You, stop instigating, and you, sit down. There is no need for this violence in this hour of celebration." He chided.

"We have just gone through about ten hours worth of our first taste of life as huntsmen. We have survived the first real trial of our careers, and this is how you two behave? Get a hold of yourselves, and act like mature adults for Rhya's sake. You two can deal with your problems on a later date, when it is not the time for festivities, but for now, your problems with one another are irrelevant." **(3)**

Both girls felt rather dejected, and more than a little embarrassed as the rest of the table had been roused by Naruto's scolding and now had focused their full attention on the two. Whereas Weiss found herself flustered, looking down in embarrassment and trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, Boudicea had folded her arms and gave a huff of defeat.

"Yeah, my bad."

"My sincerest apologies, Naruto."

Naruto, his irritation now gone, nodded in acceptance. Conversations resumed, and the table went back to its former boisterous state. "Well then, Miss Schnee, you and Cardin seemed to know each other."

"The Huntsmen of the Winchester family have been frequently asked by the Schnee Dust Corporation to help protect some of our value dust assets, particularly some of the docks as thieves and ruffians seem to have made our shipments a prime target. I recognized the golden eagle crest on his armor, so I decided to say hello."

"Ah, I see. Moving on, do tell about your initiations."

"Gladly. I got paired up with Miss Rose over there," she said referring to the hyperactive girl sitting at the table behind her. "Long story short, we met up with Miss Nikos and her group, and our unformed teams worked together to take down an Alpha Nevermore and Alpha Deathstalker."

"Hmmm." He was trying his damndest to contain his laughter; the poor heiress had been paired up with Ruby? What a horrible day the Schnee must have been having, and honestly there was very little that could top that. "And pray tell, who else makes up _Miss Niko's_ team?"

"Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, the couple over there that seem to either be dating or be siblings, we honestly can't tell. And a rather immature, clumsy, ignoramus named Jaune Arc. Gods, I find that last one so annoying and repulsive."

"Oh?" Naruto inquired, although in the back of his mind, there was something about the latter person's name that sounded so familiar.

"Yes, he constantly tries to seduce me despite my rejections, and fails to perform anywhere near the acceptable basis of a student that's allowed into Beacon. He can barely even stand up straight, much less hold up a sword and shield." Her annoyance and anger beginning to boil outwards, and she genuinely seemed as though she were about to throw a fit.

"Hmmmm." It was becoming even harder to contain his laughter, but he hummed on in an attempt to not expel his satisfaction at the situation, until a sudden realization came upon him. "Wait a minute. You said his surname was, Arc?"

"Yes, that is what I said."

Naruto began to sit in silent contemplation, brooding over the name, Arc. It wasn't just a name though, no, it was a household. A rather powerful one in the Kingdom of Vale, and had been so since the time of the Great War.

"Something wrong?" Weiss asked, her eyebrows raised in intrigue.

"Quite. The House of Arc has been a hated enemy of both of my families, due to their hubris amongst the old, elite court of Vale for one and the profane violence they brought upon the other during the Great War. That very name is a curse towards my ancestors, and brings nothing but foul omens to my kin."

Though, speaking of kin, Naruto's ranting came to an end when he spotted a few familiar faces entering the cafeteria.

His twin, Tsuki was dressed in her under armor clothing, comprised of a pair of crimson hakama with a white obi sash, a red shitagi and a pair of white tabi socks. Shiro was dressed in her normal witchly attire, albeit forgoing the rather large hat in lieu of just letting her blonde hair hang out freely.

Hassan was there too, although he hadn't seemed to change his garb either, simply pulling down his hood and the mask he used to cover his mouth. There was another person with the group of three, who he did not know, but had seen the other day. She had mocha colored skin, emerald green hair that was cut in a very central Mistralian fashion, and was wearing some rather… exposing clothing. The two actually seemed to be hitting it off quite well, as though they've known each other for a long time.

Tsuki and Shiro saw Naruto as well, waving to him. When Tsuki tried to run over to Naruto though, Shiro grabbed a hold of the back of Tsuki's shitagi and began dragging her over to the table where Ruby and Yang had been sitting at, giving one final wave before doing so.

 _I am so glad that Shiro is my older sister. Otherwise I would be stuck dealing with Tsuki all by my lonesome, and frankly that sounds like hell._

More room was made for the table to accommodate for the two newcomers, as Naruto issued his own greeting to the new girl, extending a hand whilst he did so, "Hello there, and who might you be?"

"Name's Emerald, nice to meet you." She took his hand in a firm grip, nowhere near as firm as Boudicea, but firm nonetheless.

"The pleasure is all mine, however, I must ask. Whom did you get teamed up with?"

"Oh, I got partnered up with Tsuki, Nami-something. Can't remember the last name." She seemed to speak with the same face she had when meeting him, but there was something off. And had Naruto not been wearing his glasses there was no way he would have noticed it, but there was slight twinge in her eye when she said his sister's name. A twitch that lasted for barely a fifth of a second, and was hidden well by the rest of her attitude.

But he lit up like a holy beacon, ready to jump on the opportunity to have a good laugh at Emerald's expense.

"Ah, I see," his very own grin threatening to split his face, "You have been paired up with my sister then. Do know that I am _extremely_ grateful of you for dealing with her antics for the next…" He pretended to look down at his forearm as though he were looking at a wristwatch. "Four years of your life. Have fun."

Her positive facade dropped completely, as did her head onto the table, as her exhaustion seemed to slam into her all at once. "Gods, I don't want to deal with her anymore."

Naruto burst out in laughter, using all of his mental restraint as to not begin pointing and laughing at the poor girl. In spite of the fun he and the rest of his table may have been having, it was soon interrupted as, for the fourth time today after Naruto's coming, another person came to the table. Speak of the devil, and he shall come.

"Uh, hey? Do you guys mind if I sit with you?" A male voice asked with little to no confidence, having originating from - what Naruto and quite a few other people had viewed as - a poor excuse for a huntsman. Even for one in training. "The name's Jaune, Jaune Arc."

The majority of the table to seemed to share a look with one another that silently screamed an almost completely unified response: absolutely not. Among them though, it was Naruto who was the first to vocalize such a thought.

A dark smile began to creep along his face, but it was much more reserved and malefic than before. "Oh I don't think so, _Arc_. You will find no sanctuary here, now skitter back to the rest of your blighted kinsmen." He said no more as he went back to finishing his meal, sipping his drink with mirth as he watched the rest of his table follow in his footsteps.

Cardin and Boudicea smirked in agreement, turning back to Jaune with a look that made him feel as though these two were about to take his lunch money. "I think what our friend here is saying is for you to get the fuck out of here. Now scram, loser." Cardin called out, pointing a chicken leg at Jaune, jokingly about to throw it at the boy, at least Naruto hoped so.

As the rest of the table began to jeer, Naruto stared at the rest of his table as they began to taunt and ward off the heir of the Arc family.

 _So that's the Arc boy then? I can see why Miss Schnee was so repulsed by him. He's quite pathetic. Scrawny, ill equipped, unconfident, and unchivalrous; he fails to even remotely live up to the legends that his grandfather left behind._

He grabbed his glass, and as he finished his water, he noticed through the clear glass that several sets of eyes from the table across from them were staring back. Most notable was the pair of emerald eyes that contrasted with the fiery red hair of its bearer. They stared not at him, but at the Arc boy, interestingly, with concern. She seemed to care about him and his well being, and looked about ready to stand up, and perhaps, defend him?

 _Fascinating._

And so she did. Some of the others at their table questioned her, but they did not move. They did not move along with her, nor try to stop her, simply watching on in similar intrigue as Naruto.

"Jaune, come sit over here with the rest of us." She placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him back to her table, but his eyes roamed with sadness among the occupants of Naruto's table, lastly coming upon Weiss before he withdrew, the slouch in his stance a clear sign of defeat.

Pyrrha turned back to the rest of the table, glaring mainly at Cardin, Boudicea, and finally Naruto. However, upon Naruto it became a look less of anger and more of disappointment. "I expected better from you, Naruto."

"Better, from me? I provide nothing but my best!" He proclaimed, slamming his hand down on the table as he rose out of his seat, his ire drawn by Pyrrha's comment. Few things could truly bother Naruto, but an insult to his pride or ability was certainly one of them.

"What more did you expect from me? That I treat the scion of that wretched house with compassion and respect? I think not." His voice became powerful, carrying such resolute conviction that he started to seem more like a zealot than any knight.

It became a silent battle of wills. Neither spoke, but instead, stood facing each other, and peered deep into the other's eyes, searching for even the barest sliver of a lack of conviction, that would spell victory for the other.

Before they could continue though, the voice of his beloved aunt, Glynda came up on the intercoms, "All initiates are to report to the Auditorium immediately."

While the rest of the students began cleaning up their food, and began to walk out, Pyrrha and Naruto lingered for but a moment longer.

"Naruto." Boudicea called out, nudging her head towards the direction of the doors.

Without saying a word, the two turned around, cleaning their messes off the table before heading to the doors.

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Auditorium; 18:30]**

As Naruto passed through the massive interior doors of the auditorium, he noticed that there was a distinctly different look than the night before. Whereas before there had only been some sunlight pouring through the main lobby's doors, now the only light that shone were those produced by the glowing teal portions of the auditorium stage. Glynda was right next to the doors, likely to administer room numbers to each of the teams, while Ozpin stood upon the stage, currently facing Naruto's sisters, Emerald, and Hassan.

The rest was relatively dark, as other students sitting in the rows of seats surrounding the stage watched on, covered in shadow. Occasionally, the flashes of scroll cameras would light up areas, but otherwise, he saw few of the students beyond his fellow initiates.

"Tsuki Namikaze. Shiro Namikaze. Hassan mil Alzili. Emerald Sustrai. The four of you retrieved the white queen pieces, and from this day forward, you will be known as Team SETH, led by Shiro Namikaze." As he spoke, images of each of the four came up on the screen, displaying an initial of their name to form the acronym, SETH.

The audience clapped, and Shiro kept her usual humble smile. Tsuki on the other hand gave a small pout, crossing her arms and sticking her lower lip out. She stopped when she felt her big sister give her a pat on the shoulder, leading her off stage with the rest of their team. As they passed Naruto, Shiro let go of her younger sister and approached Naruto.

His mind was elsewhere, still staring blankly at the stage until Shiro pulled him into a strong hug from behind. He turned around and returned the hug, when Shiro leaned in and whispered something into his ear, "We need to talk about what happened at dinner."

He nodded in response, lightly furrowing his eyes in acknowledgement. He knew he was probably going to be scolded for what he did earlier. "Congratulations by the way, on being chosen for the leader of your team."

She glowed in response, appreciative of her younger brother's praise. "Thanks, Naru! I gotta go catch up with Tsuki, and don't forget about our conversation later tonight."

He sighed before nodding and looking back to the stage.

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal), led by… Cardin Winchester."

Cardin gave a small bow of his head to Ozpin, as he and the rest of his team walked down the steps and into the aisles with the rest of the initiates. Naruto gave him a nod as well, and the two approached one another, before clasping each other's forearms, Naruto now the one to pat Cardin's shoulder. "Excellent work, my friend."

The larger of the two chuckled and was about to say something when Naruto was nudged by teammates to move onto the stage. Cardin simply gave a nod of understanding before following the rest of his team.

Unlatching his helm from his buckle, he strapped it into his gorget, locking it into place and allowing him to display his armor in all of its glory. The polished metal reflected the aquamarine line produced by the stage, and seem to give him an otherworldly glow, further drawing attention to him.

Before Ozpin spoke, he noticed someone in and amongst the crowd of older students in the seats above; Coco Adel, the second-year girl who had given him advice about the Initiation Exam smiled at him, giving him a thumb up. Then immediately snapped a picture of him with the rest of his team. Before he could wave back, Ozpin began to speak, drawing his full attention.

"Naruto Namikaze. Mercury Black. Boudicea Ríoga. Erika Schrödinger. You four have retrieved the black knight pieces, and will now form Team NMBS (Nimbus), led by Naruto Namikaze."

Although his helmet shielded the front of his face, he wore a proud smile, grinning from cheek to cheek and barring his teeth. Naruto raised his shoulders slightly, keeping his hands folded behind his back, the confidence radiating from his form. Ozpin gave a quick smile and nod, which were soon returned by Naruto, when he once more looked up and saw Coco's smile had grown larger as she waved to the sterling knight.

But for a second, his was thrown off when he caught sight of something rather, odd, if not a tad bit disturbing. The light from a scroll flashed a little to Coco's left, and a dark silhouette revealed its true form.

It looked like a Faunus, but more far more animalistic. As though something had broken the observed rule of Faunus genetics. It looked to be a rat Faunus, but his face started to narrow like a snout, with two sharp buck teeth stuck out from his upper jaw, just barely slipping past his lips until he opened his mouth. Dark, shrewd, beady eyes stared right back at his heterochromatic ones, and he saw that it was covered nearly head to legs - another person cut off his view past the knees - in a short, black coat of fur. He wore a dark red tunic that seemed to nearly blend in with the rest of his fur, and from this distance, it seemed more like he was wearing a coat of dried blood on his fur than anything else.

Before he could further analyze the Faunus, the camera's light deactivated and he could see him no more. Resuming his intended path, he led his team down the steps and through the aisle of other students, receiving compliments and praise from Team CRDL. Deciding to wait no longer, he waved over to his team, gesturing for them to follow as he walked over to Glynda.

"Congratulations, Naruto. I'm interested in seeing how well you'll do as the leader of your team." Glynda said warmly, showing off her more motherly side.

"Thank you Aunt Glynda. I'll do my very best."

She nodded in response to his answer. "Your team's room number will be one hundred and twenty-one, and you'll be in the west wing of the school with the rest of your generation's initiates."

Nodding, the newly formed Team NMBS headed off to their new dormitory.

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, West Dormitory Wing; 19:00]**

"Oh Gods, finally!" After about twenty minutes of walking through the school, Naruto and the rest of his team had finally reached their rooms. Among them, Mercury had been complaining by far the most.

"Yes, yes, we're here. Now be quiet and get into the room." Naruto ordered, pointing a gauntleted finger at the white oaken door.

As the rest of his team poured into their dorm, Naruto pulled up the visor of his helm, revealing his rather tired features, and took out his scroll from the inside of his heraldic surcoat. He opened Shiro's contact information, and sent her a message stating that he was at his room.

He heard some movement in the room parallel to his own, before the door opened revealing his sister in her pale yellow nightgown and a pair of slippers. "What took you so long? We got done about thirty minutes ago."

"Simply put, we got lost. Mercury's constant whining certainly did not help. Anyways, you wanted to talk about dinner?"

"Yeah," She closed the door behind her, careful not to slam it. "You can't be acting like the way you did to that kid tonight, Naruto. I understand that you can be a bit prideful, and don't like the ideas of being around the 'lesser peoples' as you put it, but you gotta learn to act with some decency."

"Decency? That _boy_ is of the House of Arc." Naruto defended, feeling as though his pride was being threatened.

"So? That was two or three generations ago Naruto, it was in the past! " Shiro raised her hands in frustration, her voice slowly doing the same.

"It matters little. The crimes they committed upon our families are inexcusable, and in the eighty years since that war, the Arcs have done nothing to atone for their slights against us. I should have done more instead of telling that craven weakling off. I should have challenged him to a duel, and end this rivalry once and for all." He ended his statement darkly, crossing his arms in stalwart defiance. He once again was not ready to give up his position so easily.

"Naruto, you can't just go around challenging our family's enemies to duels, especially when they haven't done anything wrong."

"But-"

"But nothing. From the few minutes I talked to him, all I saw was that Jaune was a sweet, albeit timid boy."

"He is a failure, and a disgrace to the ideals of knighthood and chivalry. And not a single thing more."

Shiro rubbed her face with both of her hands, her index fingers pressing into the pressure points at the bridge of her nose. "Look Naruto, just don't start any trouble that you don't need to on the first week? Please? For your older sister's sake?"

He gave out a quiet sigh in response, "Alright, if it is for your sake, then very well."

Shiro flashed a small smile, and gave him a small hug. "Thank you, now get some sleep, Naruto. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Mhm. See you tomorrow." The two siblings gave each other a silent hug for the night, before turning around and heading to their respective rooms. Upon opening their doors, they found that they had been given very little privacy to their conversation.

Having been surprised by the sudden opening of the door, Tsuki had tripped on the sleeves of her hakama and fallen just in front of the entryway, while in Team NMBS' room Mercury and Schrödinger had been caught red-handed. Although Mercury stayed behind at the doorway, simply rubbing the back of his neck while giving an embarrassed laugh, Schrödinger had bolted away from the door, much like a disturbed cat would have.

Naruto's dreary face scrunched up into an angry visage, "It seems as though we're going to have to have a discussion about the rules of this team. Now move!" He marched into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Similarly, Shiro had to deal with her own problems regarding privacy. "Alright, Tsuki. Get inside, we're going to need to have a little chat." She pinched the back of Tsuki's neck tightly before she tapped the door closed with her foot.

"Ow, ow! Okay mom, just stop with the neck pinching already!"

It was going to be a long and painful night that was for sure.

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Team NMBS dormitory; 21:00]**

After about an hour of laying out a new codex of rules for his team, they had finally come to agreement on Naruto's terms. Of course, their agreements to his terms were made under the threat of him using more… draconic methods of punishment should they fail to comply.

The only one who found no problems and signed up without needing to be threatened was surprisingly Boudicea. But even without the threat of - according to him - lashings and fiery brandings, the terms were fairly acceptable.

First, upon request, a member of Team NMBS may be granted temporary privacy within the room.

Second, all members of Team NMBS were expected to precisely follow a shower schedule in the morning, lasting no longer than ten minutes.

Third, if a member would like to bring another person to the room, a warning must be issued at least four hours prior to doing so.

Fourth, should anyone touch any property of Naruto Namikaze, they understand the risk of losing limbs and organs as a consequence.

Finally, all internal gripes and issues are to be dealt with immediately, and not left to fester and cause further problems.

Each rule had a decent amount of sense to it, and was certainly understandable in order to help create a fully functioning team as well as one that could operate smoothly in a school condition. Except the fourth one, but considering how much of a hard ass Naruto was, it was very likely that it wasn't a joke.

Currently the members of Team NMBS were going in and out of the bathroom, brushing their teeth and switching into their sleeping wear to head in for the night. Naruto was the last one to use it, taking a few extra minutes to go over everything that had culminated in the last twenty-four hours. During his musings, he suddenly realized that he had forgotten something.

 _Oh hell. I was supposed to meet Junior at his club tonight. Well, at least whatever is left of it. But how am I to get there without attracting attention? And do I even have the strength to carry out one of his jobs tonight?_

Spitting out a glob of the soapy toothpaste, he rinsed his mouth out absentmindedly.

But then it came to him.

 _I could attempt to enter my semblance like I did earlier today. But even then, I barely even know how to control where I go. As far as I know, I very well could end up across the world, with no way of getting back. But attempting to leave via the Bullheads outside the Academy would be nigh impossible, if not downright suspicious._

After a few more minutes of silent rumination, Naruto had made up his mind. He would attempt the teleportation again.

Though he'd have to wait for his teammates to fall asleep, so as to not raise concern or questions about his whereabouts. So he waited, and waited in his bed while the rest of his teammates, one by one, fell into slumber.

He closed his eyes, and let his ears scan the room for signs of activity. He heard the light snoring of Mercury, the heavy snoring of Boudicea, and the purring of Schrödinger, but nothing more. If there was ever a time to leave, this was it.

Naruto didn't even bother to lift the covers off his body, instead opting to slide out of his bed like a serpent. He tiptoed into the bathroom, being sure to close the door without making a single sound. Then, the fabrics of reality were torn apart as Naruto opened up the gateway into a reality of unknown proportions and unknowable limitations. Violet light crawled out from underneath the bathroom door and reflected off the mirror, casting an ominous and mystical presence over the room. Even his teammates seemed to feel this, shivering under their covers.

He inhaled deeply, giving a soft prayer under his breath before he stepped into the darkness. Boundless shadow danced around him, with streaks of purple light flashing like lightning. Given that he wasn't under the same dire circumstances as the last time when he opened the literal rift in space and time, he took the opportunity to perform a few minor experiments.

He snapped his fingers and listened. There was indeed a sound that followed.

He breathed deeply in through his nose, and he felt air rush into his body like those of a hurricane. But there was something different about it than the air in Vale or Mistral. It was pure oxygen. There were no consequences to him not exhaling.

Lastly, he thought of his unique armor, the kind he wore just for his secretive jobs. And to his glee, tendrils just like before spawned at random holding the various pieces of his equipment. Though, when they stripped him of his nightwear he felt cold. Extremely cold in fact, as though his linen tunic had been a thick winter coat, and he was now left exposed in the freezing snow.

He was soon given a gambeson among the rest of his usual under armor, and on top of that were thick plates of blackened steel, with the most notable being the Bellows Sallet helmet he wore, completely covering every inch of his face save for his piercing eyes. The tendrils were even sure to make sure his hair was wrapped perfectly so that not a single strand stuck out of the helm. Furthermore, a thick cloak of black wool with individual strings of gold woven throughout its edges gave him a more menacing and mysterious appearance.

Two more tendrils sprang forth from the void, each holding a different item. To Naruto's right, it held a short Raven's beak war hammer, with the name, _Purgatio_ neatly carved into the shaft. It was no longer than two and a half feet, with a polished ironwood shaft and steel top, equipped with a spike and hammer. Although simple in its design, it was wildly effective in breaking through any resistance and splitting skulls.

In the other hand was a heater shield made of a fading black steel, and did not hold any heraldic embroidery, instead only being decorated by the golden metal bolts that stood out against their onyx canvas. On the interior, instead of a single grip like a normal shield would have had, there were a number of leather straps and iron buckles meant to keep it locked into place on Naruto's wrist, allowing him an additional free hand.

After hanging the war hammer from his belt and attaching the heater shield to his left forearm, Naruto then thought of the Club, making sure to note every fine detail of the surrounding land, be it the street lights, the nearby buildings, the pavement and crosswalks, etc. And suddenly the world ahead of him began to shift, the purple bands of light twisting and contorting until it opened like a mouth, preparing to swallow Naruto inside.

His world brightened and then became dark as he found himself on the ground, the bevor of his helmet keeping his features from touching the ground. He heard thunder blast from afar, and as Naruto got up, he took note of the area. Everything he had thought of earlier was present, though Junior's club was across the street.

The black knight said nothing as he walked across the street, confident that no vehicles would be going across the perpendicular road. Naruto saw that one of the windows was broken not far above the doorway, and as he entered the club, he now knew why Junior had been so angry.

The number of guards that Junior usually employed had completely dwindled down to give or take a dozen men, some still possessing bruises on their faces, cuts on their lips, and painful black eyes. There were no disgusting profligates mindlessly dancing and drinking throughout the buildings, and much of the décor that had once been in the club was gone, likely destroyed in Yang and Shiro's rampage. There was no bear headed DJ playing terrible music above the dance floor, no vigorously flashing lights upon the ceiling. For all intents and purposes, this nightclub was closed for reconstruction, and the attack would result in a decline of popularity, further damaging his business.

Naruto spotted his contractor and occasional employer sitting at the corner of the bar, his back facing the doorway. His body was slumped over, his pride no doubt wounded from being beaten by two teenage girls. Junior seemed to be chugging down his drinks like a real drunkard, with no time to lavish the taste of the alcohol. No, this was the method of drinking of someone who wanted to forget about something.

On the adjacent corner were the twins, their red and white outfits seemed as pristine as ever, but they too had bruises and cuts on their bodies. They were just as crestfallen as their employer, and drank their own glasses of alcohol with sorrow. They had not looked as badly hurt the other day when they called each other. Perhaps they had used makeup to try and cover up their wounds? The knight was certainly not going to ask though, as he was not interested in getting attacked by a pair of girls that could likely outmaneuver him.

Nonetheless, none of them seemed to care as he walked towards them. Even as his sabatons crunched against the floor, they did not seem to notice his approach. It was only when he was directly to Junior's side, that the twins saw him, as Militia nudged Melanie's shoulder, jabbing one of the latter's bruises.

"Ow! What the hell… Militia." Her anger dissipated as she saw what her sister was trying to point to.

Naruto gently tapped on the information broker's shoulders, earning him some grumbling before he finally turned around. New on Junior's head was a thick layer of bandaging, with faint traces of red staining the very center of the covering.

"Hey Naruto." His voice was quite hoarse, as though he had a cold or infection. "Was starting to think you weren't going to show."

"Hei Xiong. I am glad to see that you haven't decided to burn down the club for insurance money. Though, that's not to say I still don't find this cesspool of degeneracy to be distasteful."

"Nope, already thought about it, but my insurance rate has dropped completely thanks to the number of fights and damage to property that occurs here. The other day was just the straw that broke the camel's back." Junior said sarcastically, his tone growing ever more anguished.

The teen sat down next to Junior, rotating on the circular chair to face his employer. "I see. So, you called me over here, what is it that you wanted?"

"Right to the point then, huh? Well you see, on top of all this shit," Junior said, gesturing to the ruined interior of his nightclub, "A gang in the area has set up shop, and decided to rob one of my warehouses. There was about four-hundred thousand lien worth of guns and dust there, and I no longer have the manpower to take it back." The older man slammed his empty glass into the bar, uncaring that there were shards of glass sticking out his hand, his face red with anger.

"Am I to assume you want me to enter their stronghold, eliminate them, and then retrieve your property?" Naruto inquired, leaning back in his seat as he clasped his hands together, tapping his index fingers and thumbs against one another.

Junior said nothing in turn, deciding to tap his nose, as though to say 'Thanks Captain Obvious'.

"Now, would it at all be possible to do this on another day?"

"Nope." Xiong's response was immediate. "I've lost too much money already, and now that these fucks have decided to rob me of my product, I'll lose even more. Naruto, I want you to teach these rats a lesson, and make an example of them."

"To be quite honest with you, I'm not entirely sure how much longer my body can function. I believe it would be best if I performed this mission tomorrow or the day after."

For a minute, Junior grumbled beneath his breath until he happened to recall some very crucial information.

"Listen Junior, I'd be glad to hunt down some vermin for you, but I don't think I have it in me today. I offer you my sincerest apologies." Naruto spoke solemnly, hopping off the stool and turning around to walk back to the front door.

Junior suddenly spoke, breaking the monotonous echo of Naruto's sabatons hitting the stone floor. "They're not just any gang."

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, gently setting his lifted sabaton back to the ground. He spoke quietly with a hint of curiosity, "Is that so?"

"It's the White Fang."

Without so much as a moment's hesitation, Naruto marched right back to his seat, a deep smile laced with unbridled hatred hidden beneath the bevor of his helm. "Give me their location and I'll have them slaughtered like the animals they are before the witching hour. Free of charge. But you will need to send your employees to pick up the cargo, I do not think I have it in me to haul that much back."

"Glad we could work something out. Now then, let's get started."

* * *

 **[Vale, Dockside Warehouse; 21:49]**

Thunder roared through the night as rain fell from the sky like the tears of a widowed mother. Naruto's heavy cloak and armor kept him warm, but he reveled in the sounds and feelings of a rainy night. The water clinking against the metal and the fresh air that rolled in alongside the storm made such weather satisfying to the black knight.

But even more delightful was his mission. He had before him, not only the opportunity to slay his most abhorred enemies - more so than even the Arcs - but also the chance to turn them into icons for the rest of their disgusting kind. To show them the consequences of their sins.

It was to be a jolly good time.

As he walked up to the warehouse's side door, Naruto slowly cracked his fingers, savoring each individual pop. He unclipped Purgatio from his belt, admiring the sleekness of the hammer and hook, his desire to wield it growing ever more irresistible. He took a practice swing, holding the bottom of its shaft and letting the weight carry the hammer in a downward arc.

Naruto, still smiling behind his helmet, knocked politely on the door. He heard some muffled speaking inside of the warehouse, and then the door opened. It was a man with short white hair, dressed in a longshoreman's uniform, complete with thick dirty, grey gloves, a bright yellow and orange jacket as well as a safety helmet. But it looked a tad bit too big for him, like it wasn't his own. "Can I help you?"

 _ **Kill him.**_

"Why, yes you can. I happen to be looking for some terrorists that have been spotted in the area, and was wondering if you had seen any suspicious activity around here?" Naruto's eyes scanned every detail of what little he could see of the warehouse interior. He noticed a few boxes and crates had been opened, and a couple of them hastily put back together with bits of packaging sticking out of its edges. But nothing too out of the ordinary.

"Nope, haven't seen anything here." He spoke in the most casual tone possible, with seemingly no fear or anxiety in his eyes or body. He was completely and utterly relaxed.

"Well, if that is the case, you wouldn't mind me entering your humble abode to have a look around?"

"Of course not." He stepped to the side, gesturing for him to come inside. His eyes lingered warily on Naruto's weapon, yet still no sign of discomfort.

"So tell me, how come you are working out at such an hour?"

 _ **Kill him now.**_

Naruto suddenly stopped, and before the worker could respond the knight jabbed his elbow into the other man's stomach, knocking all the wind from his body. He clenched his gut in response before stepping back and roaring like a beast. Using his teeth, the longshoreman pulled his thick gloves off revealing sharp claws like those of a honey badger.

When he lunged at the man-at-arms like a wild animal, Naruto stood his ground in staunch defiance of his attacker, bringing up his heater shield to knock away the attack before responding with a hammering counter strike, shattering his opponent's weak aura. Now on the ground, the honey badger Faunus struggled to move as Naruto stepped down on his back, shifting his weight to keep him pinned.

Naruto's blue and green eyes were filled with ever growing malice, and he began to heed the words of voice in the back of his head. Often he found it hard to deny the hunger for death and destruction that so frequently lingered in his mind.

 _ **Bring these curs to your heel and show them your wrath!**_

As much as Naruto claimed himself to be a righteous and chivalrous fellow, he was all the same a warrior, whose very career would be based around war and bloodshed. So who was he to deny an urge that coalesced with his duties as a huntsman? At the very least, Naruto knew when to and when not to act out, repressing those feelings until they could be properly sated, without bringing harm to those who do not yet deserve his fury.

Around him, Naruto could see more people, no… he saw more daemons shuffling around, seeping out of the woodworks like termites. Each of the beasts donned their usual porcelain white mask, showing off the lower half of their faces, but such accessories only became warped in Naruto's eyes, twisted and malformed into daemonic visages that revealed their true nature.

They completely surrounded him, pointing their firearms and raising their melee weapons in preparation for a fight.

 _Savage cowards. They would use their comrade as bait just to get a mere strike against me! But I will not be slain by mere dogs let loose of their imagined chains. No. I will give them neither quarter nor mercy, and as a newly minted knight-errant of this Kingdom, I will bring these fiends naught but reckoning!_

"Give it up and let him go, or you die human!" One of the hellspawn threatened, holding a rifle to Naruto's back. But it quivered, and the knight could see that the rifle was shaking ever so slightly, as though this abomination was unsure of what to do.

Naruto responded by pushing his sabaton down ever harder, feeling a pleasant chill run up his spine as he heard the crunch of bones beneath his steel foot.

"I'm warning you!" Naruto's foe brought the gun right to the back of his helm, intending to fire a point-blank shot. Yet, his quivering had not ceased, if anything, it had become more prominent.

Another one of the beasts, attempting to impersonate the guise of a female with deer antlers called out, "Just fucking shoot him already!"

And so he did. The dust bullet rang out in the warehouse, as a complimentary golden light flashed with it. Instead of piercing the intruder's head, it was completely nullified against an orchid-colored barrier. The shooter stepped back in fear before Naruto could hear him attempting to reload.

"A huntsman?" One of them said aloud, the worry evident in his voice. "We can't fucking deal with this."

"Are you kidding? There's nine of us, and one of him. We can take him." Another spoke eagerly, sounding vaguely female if the tone of voice was anything to go by.

"No, no. This is too risky, our job was to steal the weapons and dust, not get into fights with huntsmen. We need to pull ou-"

The eldest among them was interrupted by laughter, a thundering cacophony of laughter coming from the dark huntsman that they stood around.

"You think to escape my judgment, baleful daemons? Come, and face me with the same unholy fervor that you possess when you murder, steal, and rape the innocent! Show me why your cabal of thugs and barbarians is so feared across the four kingdoms!" Naruto issued his challenge, goading some of the more fanatical members of the White Fang into attacking.

"Filthy human!" The female monster that had called for his death earlier - the one with the antlers - screamed out, brandishing a plain looking machete. "You have no idea of the kind of suffering our people have had to endure, you have no right to call us monsters!" She charged at him, pulling her arm to the opposite shoulder in order to swing her blade diagonally.

Naruto swung his hammer low, slamming into her calf and snapping her fibula like a twig. She screamed out, braying and crying for help as tears rolled out from under her mask. Some fired their pistols and rifles at the man-at-arms, but the shots were but like pebbles being thrown at a giant. Others grabbed their weapons and vaulted over their cover to swarm and rush the knight before he could continue his brutality.

"So, the beast attempts to impersonate emotion? But I thought you were the _unbreakable revolutionaries_ , who knew neither fear nor defeat?" Naruto patronized the poor girl, speaking the latter sentence with such venom that it easily could have killed a fully-grown Goliath.

She did not respond, still crying whilst trying to mend her wounds. Her allies drew closer still, mere yards away, but it wouldn't be enough time. The black knight raised his war hammer, rotating it to reveal the wicked five-inch metal claw, but before he could end her young life, her badger ally tackled the knight, knocking him off of his balance – for the second time today.

"Diane, run! We'll hold him off, go get help!" The Faunus that had saved her life was struggling just to keep their attacker down, who merely chortled at the former's attempts. The aptly named, Diane pulled herself up off of the floor, using a nearby crate as a support. She stared back hesitantly and slowly began to limp out towards the door.

"Oh you are a bold one, but," Naruto taunted, slamming his foot into the Faunus' groin as he paused. "Boldness is nothing but a madman's justification for a quick death."

More White Fang piled on to Naruto, swinging and slashing at his armor but to no effect. His aura shrugged off each of their attacks, and he single-mindedly pressed forward to kill the daemon that had tried to pin him to the ground, disabling any who got in his way, and using any who had the audacity to cling to his body as living shields for the bullets that came his way.

"Perhaps if you had tightened your hold around me, you would have had a better chance at keeping me down. But alas, you failed, and in doing so you have granted me free reign to put you all to the sword." The condescension was palpable with each word he spoke, as Naruto swung the pointed end of his heater shield back, striking another attacker in the gut. Still there was no fear in the eyes of the Faunus.

In one final desperate attack, the badger Faunus lunged out, his mouth opened wide revealing sharp white teeth and his hands bearing sharp claws. "Just die already!"

Such desperation was what Naruto lived for, to see his enemies on their last limbs, throwing everything they had in one final risky attempt. It was so exhilarating to see them crushed before his eyes.

Naruto countered by thrusting Purgatio into the man's rib cage, knocking him back a few feet. "Have at you, beast!" There was some genuine sense of joy that filled his voice, as though he were treating their fight like a friendly duel.

A duel that was promptly ended when Naruto pierced the raven's beak through the spinal cord of his Faunus opponent, killing him instantly. His hammer stuck between the vertebras, Naruto pushed against the corpse with his foot until he tore weapon out, resulting in a fountain of blood splashing all over him.

 _ **An exceptional performance. Now silence the rest of them, with each death you bring honor to your kith, and glory to your name.**_

Encouraged by his inner musings, the knight, now draped in a shroud of crimson ichor, charged forth at his enemies with an immeasurable desire for slaughter, allowing his more bestial thoughts to prevail.

Naruto rammed head first - literally - into the nearest enemy, who had stood paralyzed in fear upon seeing his ally cut down without mercy. Now off balance, the huntsman grabbed the Faunus' throat, shielding the former from an oncoming volley while simultaneously slamming his hammer into the bullet sponge. After a single strike to the head, the Faunus' mask shattered revealing a pair of reptilian eyes filled with terror. After several more solid swings to the skull, the head completely collapsed like a crushed egg, blood and brain matter pouring out onto the ground.

The fresh corpse was tossed aside like a ragdoll, and Naruto continued his unstoppable march forward, bringing his heater shield up above his head. "Come and fight me! Or has it dawned upon you that your cause is simply a justification for mindless barbarity and savagery?"

That seemed to spur more of them into action, with the remaining six either taking up positions from which to fire from or to keep Naruto from moving out of the center of the warehouse.

Two of them, wielding a cudgel and a hammer, attacked Naruto at the same time, hoping for one to distract him while the other went in for the kill. Yet as Naruto struck one down without relent, swinging his hammer back and forth until all that remained was a bloody mess of face, a cudgel swung down onto his shoulder.

Upon impact, it promptly splintered into tiny fragments of wood, showering the three in piercing shrapnel. His assailant caught a few pieces of wood in his arms and face, but refused to flinch back in pain, gritting his teeth to keep from yelling out as blood dripped from his wounds. His comrade had no such luck luck, and if there was any ounce of life still in him, then it was now completely snuffed out, as a shard three inches long entered his eye and tore right on through to his brain.

One of the gun toting Faunus fired her entire magazine, and when she attempted to reload, she ended up dropping her clip. Struggling to pick it up, she fumbled as it nearly slipped out of her hands once more. Her comrade was in danger and she needed to help him before this monster killed him.

Naruto's cudgel-wielding assailant charged at him now with his long capra horns, the same way as a bull might charge at a matador in the rings of southern Mistral. Though Naruto was no longer content with playing around with his quarry, so he halted the capra's charge with his shield, and before his opponent could recover, the knight locked his war hammer into his goat horns, threatening to tear them from his skull.

"Gah! Let go of me you bastard!" Blood running from his head, he struggled to get free, but his mindless aggression only made it easier to keep him locked into place, as Naruto kneed and kicked his legs to bring him down. With his back to a wall, Naruto was relatively safe from taking fire, though it still came at him on occasion. As Naruto began to wrench his hammer counter-clockwise, he could hear the bone starting to crack against his motions.

"Shoot him! Kill me if you have to, just kill him already!" The goat Faunus bleated out shortly before one of his horns was painfully torn off, granting him agonizing freedom. The Faunus kicked behind him, striking Naruto in the gut as he skittered away, blood streaming down his forehead.

As they had seen before, small arms fire was relatively useless against the knightly huntsman, the bullets being completely nullified by either his shield or his aura. Yet, this did not stop them from trying, as they continued to harry Naruto with salvo after salvo of bullets and dust rounds.

A few bullets even ricocheted off his shield, flying back and piercing through some of the crates and metal beams that hung around the warehouse. When one of them bounced back near the girl who earlier had been having difficulties loading her rifle, she dropped her gun out of fear, causing it to fire as it landed on the ground. The shot happened to be an explosive dust round, and it hit one of the shelves holding up a number of crates to Naruto's right, collapsing it completely.

Backing up just in time, the falling shelf barely missed crushing Naruto, and the heap of crates full of weapons and dust seemed to only cloud the way forward. Undaunted by his surrounding obstacles, the man-at-arms leapt out of his position, giving his enemies no time to recover, grabbing the barrel of one's rifle, redirecting his fire to kill one of his comrades, before Naruto brought down Purgatio like a judge's gavel.

The goat Faunus, even without proper time to fully recover from his grievous and irreversible wounds, took the chance to attack Naruto again. But instead of waiting for him to be in range of a swing, Naruto threw his hammer at his opponent, incapacitating him instantly as it struck him right in the head, changing his charge into a slide. Unlatching his shield off his arm, the knight began to bash the goat's head in with the pointed bottom of his heater, a repetitive motion that continued for half a minute, much to the horror of his two remaining comrades.

The girl with the rifle held her hand to her mouth, about to vomit up her last meal out of a combination of fear for her life, and the brutality of her comrade's death. Her last remaining compatriot didn't seem to have as much restraint, puking all over some of their recently acquired merchandise. When the knight turned to face her, she grimaced. The entire front of his body was covered in red, and the black emptiness of his visor made her feel as though she were facing a wight of legend, or one of Atlas' ruthless machines.

But it was the distinct sense of euphoria that this man gave off every time he killed one of her fellow brothers and sisters in arms that made him different from the machines, the Grimm, and even the police or other huntsmen she had seen. Even if everything that he had said up to this point had been a taunt or something condescending, she could feel something else. It was the unquenchable blood greed that emanated from this blood knight, gnawing on her bones, grating her very soul, and despite the adrenaline that pumped through her veins, she could do nothing. She was completely helpless.

His form was already imposing, but the blood and the fact that he didn't seem to mind it only seemed to heighten his menacing appearance. As she fell to her knees, crawling back in abject dread, the knight walked slowly towards her, each step from his metal boots resonating a thousand times over in her mind.

"Stand and fight! Die with some dignity you unchivalrous mongrel." Naruto roared out in anger. His hunger for death and destruction made combat with living opponents feel like a constant rush of dopamine, with his conscience providing encouragement and compliments with each kill. But it was no fun if they did not fight back.

She was unable to move an inch, crippled by trepidation alone. The rest of her body refused to move, and all she could do was beg for her life. "Please, please don't kill me! I'll give you anything you want, just please don't kill me!"

He shook his head the same way a teacher would when a student gave the wrong answer, "Silly beast, you and your friends forfeited whatever rights and freedoms you possessed when you struck a pact with the fiends of the White Fang. You are naught but a daemon in the skin of a girl, unworthy of mercy or life and deserving only of an agonizing reckoning!"

To him, they were daemons, each a twisted amalgamation of what they once were, innocent men and women twisted by underlying envy and greed. The mere thought of such was perhaps even more horrifying than the Jabberwock he faced earlier today.

"Gods, no! Please, don't kill me!" She held her hands to her eyes as Naruto raised his hammer for a quick kill, but before he could bring it down like the righteous judgement of the Gods, he found himself ambushed.

A Faunus with a monkey's tail, her last remaining comrade who earlier, had been puking his stomach out, had grappled onto Naruto's back, attempting to distract him from delivering justice, and inadvertently causing the knight to drop Purgatio.

"Grab the gun and shoot him!" He yelled out, trying to call to his last remaining ally in the warehouse.

She stood there for a second, still unable to move as her life continued to flash before her eyes.

"Alexandria! Grab the fucking gun!" Finally she snapped from her stupor, instantly searching for the rifle. She had no idea how well it would have worked, but it was worth a shot. A handful of rounds still remained in the cartridge and Alexandria discharged each of them into the knight.

The first round rung out, neutralized by his aura.

The second round sang from her rifle, again neutralized by his aura.

The third and final round missed its target, though that's not to say it didn't hit anything.

Landing square in the shoulder of her monkey ally, he froze in shock, the pain was sharp at first, like he had been stung by a gigantic bee, and then the sudden realization that he had been shot kicked in. The moment his grip slackened, Naruto wasted no time, grabbing the Faunus' arm and swinging him into the ground, incapacitating him. As the blood knight walked over to his weapon, Alexandria pulled the trigger only to be met by a petrifying metallic click and no blast of steel and gunpowder.

The monkey Faunus rolled over, his head up in the air, but was unable to move. He tried to reach out with his arm as though to stop the knight any further, but it did little to prevent the inevitable. Naruto firmly held the grip of his raven's beak before swinging it in a clockwise motion, the hook drilling right through one ear and out the other.

 _ **Two left. Deal with them.  
**_

 _ _Yes, yes, they shall be dealt with. Wait, t_ wo? Oh right, the one that escaped.  
_

Alexandria finally hoisted herself up, running to get out before she too met her doom. But, Naruto only smiled, removing Purgatio from the body of the monkey Faunus and throwing it horizontally. It landed square in center of her back, causing her to yell out in pain as she fell to the ground. Tears threatened to leak from mask as she began to crawl towards the doorway, a mere two yards away. She could hear the rain outside, the sound of thunder roaring like a lion in the heavens, the flash of lightning as it sundered the clouds, she could see freedom.

But then, darkness fell. And then there was no more rain, no more thunder, no more lightning, and no more freedom. Only pitch darkness as her life was swiftly ended.

"Now then, where has the doe gone off to?" The dread knight pondered to himself, searching the warehouse for clues to her whereabouts. Near the door where he first entered, he saw blood. Not a pool, but a trail, leading right out of the door. Even with the rain outside to cover her tracks, she couldn't have gotten far, and unless she had discarded her mask, the police would soon apprehend her.

* * *

 **[Vale, City Exterior; 22:05]**

"Gods help me, please..." A woman whispered to herself, offering a quick prayer to whoever of the divine pantheon would grant her mercy. She had to get help, someone, anyone. Hell, even the police if it came down to it.

A bloodied and crippled Diane had somehow managed to limp her way to the outer rings of the city, a trail of blood following right behind. Rain or not, there was still a semi-clear path to her location, and anyone perceptive enough to notice the bloody hand prints she had accidentally left while trying to catch her breath would discover her position.

As she rounded a street corner, she saw a pair of Vale Police Officers, running a late night patrol. She may have been able to take them on before, but she was crippled, and could barely stand up as is. She needed to get to a hospital. Now.

But she froze. She heard the steady clap of metal on stone. Diane's heart began to beat faster and harder with each step, and when she looked behind her she saw a ghastly shadow loom over the street she had walked through.

She made a sudden life or death decision, and chose to ran to the police, hoping that they'd take her in as an escaped victim of this monster. She turned down the corner and limped as fast as she possibly could towards them, and began to scream out for help, "Please somebody help me!"

The two officers began to run to her position, their lights shining brightly through the night. But still that clap of metal and stone persisted, growing ever louder. When she turned around for a brief second, she saw him. Covered in viscera, he was a sight to behold, like a demon in hellish armor. Her pace increased tenfold as she ran to the police officers, waving one of her arms to further alert them.

"Grab her!" One of the officers ordered, she was confused for a second, but understood what he meant when the other jumped and tackled her to the ground, forcing her back onto the sidewalk, before twisting her around and pulling her arms behind her back to make the arrest.

"You're under arrest, criminal scum, you've violated the law. You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say may and will be used against you in a court of law."

Why would they arrest her and not him? Unless she had forgotten something.

"Dammit, the mask…" She whispered to herself.

The other went past her, and walking straight up to the knight. "Hold it right there, you're coming with us."

Briefly scanning over the officer's chevrons, the knight crossed his arms, "I think not, sergeant. I have been tracking this girl for the past half hour from her hideout, and as a huntsman I would like to retain full custody of her." He spoke in a tone with a certain air of authority that reminded her of Adam, but more stable. More, controlled and far less fanatical.

The sergeant raised an eyebrow as he looked over the blood that covered the black fur and metal of the knight's armor.

"And the blood?" He gestured to the blood that covered the entire front side of the huntsman.

"I was ambushed by fiends, and promptly defended myself." The older man nodded, and was about to return to their quarry when Naruto drew him away from the officer and terrorist.

She couldn't hear anymore as the two began to speak privately, turning their backs to Diane and the officer pinning her to the ground. The police sergeant nodded after the knight had said something, before walking back to his partner.

"Let her go. Give her to the big guy."

"But Sarge, we've finally caught one of these slimy bastards, now we can -"

He held his hand up, stopping the younger officer before he could continue. "Doesn't matter, he outranks us. Guy's a huntsman."

The officer on top of her slumped down dejectedly, but nodded in acceptance. He lifted her up off the ground, cuffs around her wrist, before walking her back to her pursuer. "Here ya go."

He shoved her into the knight's reach, who grabbed her by the hair. "Worry not gentlemen, the verminous scum will get the end it deserves. I am grateful for your assistance in apprehending it." He said politely, giving a courtesy bow as he dipped his body down, stretching one leg forward while placing his free left arm to his right shoulder.

They nodded in response, the sergeant tipping his hat in return. As the two continued their patrol, Naruto and Diane began to make their way back to the warehouse.

After five minutes of walking, Diane finally mustered the courage to speak."Why are you doing this? Why do you want to kill us so badly?"

"Business and personal reasons."

Her eyes quickly narrowed, "What? Don't like the Faunus? Is that it? You're a fucking racist aren't you?"

"Not at all. I simply despise the White Fang because they attempt to justify their abhorrent behavior behind a cause that doesn't truly exist. And even if it does, such racism has been curbed by the many efforts of the four kingdoms, leaving but small traces of prejudice."

"Really? Then how do you explain the brutality police show towards Faunus criminals?"

"A simple response to seeing a pattern with violent crimes. The White Fang have committed an insanely high number of crimes, and as such, the police are willing to meet such barbarity with force of their own. It is what is required of them."

"Yeah, and what about-"

"I know you're trying to stall for time, so I'll just keep this brief and concise. Your White Fang has done nothing but increase the divide and lower trust between Humans and Faunus, and as a result, creates further prejudice. Perhaps if you started acting like civilized beings and simply protested without butchering anyone who disagreed with you, there would be some kind of solid credence to your organization."

As Naruto shoved her forward, Diane remained silent as she processed his words. So enthralled was she, that she hardly noticed that they had returned to the warehouse. Upon entering, the uneasy silence that had been established was broken as she gazed at the remains of her group. Her body froze up, and she felt her legs plant themselves firmly into the ground as she saw the black knight's handiwork: cracked skulls let loose a torrent of brain matter onto the floor, and blood and gore draped each Fang member and the walls surrounding their carcasses.

She began to kick in his hold, waving her antlers around trying to hit the knight with them. "You monster! How could you do this! You're the one dividing Faunus and Humans, not us! You'r-"

She was cut off suddenly when Naruto swung his hammer into the back of her skull, killing her instantly as it ruptured her occipital bones.

"Ah..." He gave a long yet quiet sigh of relief as her body fell to the floor. "Peace."

 _ **Yes, it was a loud one, wasn't it?**_

"Yes, it was. Now then, how to go about making an example of them?" He asked himself aloud, stroking his bevor downwards like one would stroke a beard.

 _ **Why not show the worlds that these were criminals? Show the world that they were punished like in the days of yore? I see some nails over there in the corner, and there is plenty of wood around here...**_

"An excellent proposition, let's get to work."

* * *

 **God, it's so nice to be done with this. Please, leave your thoughts on the chapter, tell me what you think and all that. If you have any questions, send me a private message or leave it in the reviews, either or, I'll get back to it pretty soon.**

 **I'd also like to give out my thanks to Millennial, Savage Theron, Alvor the Warhawk, and Orpheus Kidwell for the help with writing this chapter, and further developing the world of Shadow of War. And speaking of Savage Theron, I highly recommend you check out his story, the Arc Diestro, as it's a RWBY/Warhammer Fantasy crossover, and honestly I really appreciate a good WF story.**

 **Anyways, Auf Wiedersehen.**

 **Notes:**

 **\- (1) Referring to the Spitzgeschoß mit Kern or Spitzer with core, a type of 7.92x57mm Mauser armor piercing ammunition.**

 **\- (2) One of the Gods of the RWBY Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, specifically, the trickster god.**

 **\- (3) Another one of the deities, Rhya is the Goddess of fertility and bounty.**


	5. Retribution

**Shadow of War**

 **Chapter V: Retribution**

* * *

 **[Vale, City Exterior; 22:30]**

Finishing the last of his handiwork, Naruto finally stepped out of the warehouse and was greeted with a shower of autumn rain. Even wearing his armor and fur cloak, he could feel the chilling water and cold air pass through the seams of his attire. The cold was always refreshing after some "exercise."

He stood there for a minute and no longer, allowing the rainwater to remove much of the blood that stained his hands before he began walking back to Junior's ruined nightclub. Given the opportunity, the knight withdrew himself into the depths of his mind.

 _ **A job well done, no?**_

 _Oh indeed. Such daemons must be purified before they can lay waste to the rest of civilization. Before they can kill more people... more loved ones._

 _ **That was in the past.**_

 _I was weak. I could do nothing but watch as he died._

 _ **Yes. But now?**_

 _Now I am strong. Strong enough to slay the wicked, and strong enough to honor my Ancestors._

 _ **What shall be done when they come to bring ruination to hearth and home?**_

 _I will slaughter them like animals, and string up their corpses for the carrion to pick clean._

 _ **Delightful.**_

 _But…_

 _ **But what?**_

 _It did not feel as though I was merely delivering justice, as though I was only doing my duty._

 _ **Oh?**_

 _It felt… too exhilarating. As though I had become more a roaring tempest than a man, eager to tear these beasts apart._

 _ **Perhaps there is a reason behind such feelings?**_

 _Their crimes against him…_

 _ **Yes, this is vengeance, that which has been rightly delivered.**_

 _Oh most certainly._

Before Naruto could continue his internal dialogue, he had arrived at his destination. He entered through the main doors, and once again found Junior at the bar.

This time Junior was already facing the doors and seemed to be a bit uplifted by the image of Naruto coming back.

"Job's done?" Hei Xiong asked with a wide smirk on his face, the occasional twitch in his jaw and cheeks implied that he was trying to restrain himself from grinning like a madman.

"Indeed it is, and as we agreed, there is no need for payment."

"Thank you, Naruto, but I can't let you leave without compensation." It was a rare occasion when Junior acted humbly and was the one to offer recompense as opposed to the other way around.

"Please, I was simply doing my duty as a huntsman. Nothing more." Naruto spoke with some level of doubt, as his earlier musing had begun to seep into his current thoughts.

"No, I insist." Junior's voice became firm. He was not about to let Naruto walk out without some kind of reward. "There must be something I can offer back to you for this service. You don't realize the kind of shit that little group of White Fang has been doing to my business. Bastards have been harassing, mugging, and murdering my clientele for months now. Point is, you've done me a major service, and I can't thank you enough."

Naruto stood silent for a few moments, tapping his sabaton against the floor as he thought of what to do. His shoulders slackened as he gave a short huff from his nose in acceptance, "Very well then. I shall take you up on your offer."

Junior briefly wore a faint smile before gesturing for Naruto to continue.

"I want this nightclub to be torn down and rebuilt into a more proper and respectable establishment. Not one where the charlatans and harlots hang around to drown their sorrows or find a quick lay, but one of class and refinement, that draws the interest of Vale's nobility and aristocracy – whose pockets I might add, are overflowing with lien – so that you may have nothing but the greatest of benefactors and the wealthiest of patrons at your fine business."

"That might be possible. Or rather, might have been possible last week, when I actually had, you know, a fair amount of net income. I was honestly hoping you would ask for something simpler, and cheaper."

"Well, then your hopes were wasted. Regardless, I am willing to provide a heavy amount of investment for this to be made possible. Think about it, we both benefit from this: I have somewhere to relax, and you will be emptying the pockets of merchants and nobility."

He thought it over for a few moments, tapping his foot on the tile floor before looking back up to Naruto. "Alright, Naruto. You got yourself a deal."

"Excellent. I'll have a few million lien rewired into your account. Begin as soon as possible, and make sure that you don't go spending all my money on personal luxuries, yes? I don't particularly enjoy - or tolerate for that matter - being stolen from."

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Team NMBS Dormitory; 23:20]**

In his brief absence, Beacon Academy had remained as quiet as it always did at this time of day. Little else besides the occasional late night conversation could be heard around the school, and such was no different in the West Wing of the school where the latest generation of students had been settled in. Many of them had collapsed in their beds out of exhaustion, too tired to text over their scrolls or stay up late and gossip.

Even when reality began to fracture in Team NMBS' bathroom, not a sound was made. Though to be truly honest, the entire team was far too tired to care, much less take notice of something that was going on behind closed doors. All save for one.

Schrödinger had always been extremely perceptive – no doubt thanks to her second set of ears and acute night vision – and when she saw Naruto pop out of the bathroom after two hours, she figured that he had decided to leave to complete another one of his jobs.

Although she knew that his semblance had granted him the ability to create a pocket dimension, she did not realize until now that it could be used as a method of teleportation. That is unless he'd just been doing… things in the bathroom for the past two hours. But considering that it was Naruto, such a case was doubtful at best.

When he opened the door, he walked on the tips of his toes, making sure not to utter a single sound, not even a peep when his foot accidentally hit the wooden frame of his bed. Through half-lidded eyes, the cat Faunus watched on as Naruto slipped into his bed next to Boudicea, the latter of whom accidentally rolled onto the young man's arm, forcing him to bite his lip to keep from saying anything.

After prying his arm out from under the muscular girl, Naruto slid over onto his side of the bed facing away from Boudicea and staring at Schrödinger and Mercury's side of the room. He noticed that although the Faunus had her eyes closed, her characteristic smile had yet to leave her face.

 _Did she see me leave?_

But alas, he was too tired to think further on the matter. The fatigue of the day began to weigh heavy on his form, and Naruto could feel his bones yearning for rest. And so he allowed slumber to take hold of him.

* * *

 **[Unknown]**

When Naruto opened his eyes, he did not see darkness. He saw flames. Like hellfire, they burned through everything, steadily spreading without an end in sight. All that was touched by flame became eternal pyres that soon rose to the height of skyscrapers, refusing to be snuffed out.

Naruto looked down at himself and saw that he donned his battle armor, complete with his heraldry and crimson plumage. Yet it was different than before. It was heavily damaged. Much of the plating had been scratched or dented, some from bullet holes or what looked like heavy debris. Small chunks of metal were gone, as though they had been torn off from him, and his surcoat had not fared any better, the iconic heraldry of his family was seared by flame, the edges of the embroidered cloth still charred black and smoking.

Though his armor had definitely seen better days, Naruto felt safe in it, as though no matter how high these walls of fire grew, they could never touch him.

A dark voice spoke above roars and crackles of the flame, and it rang out as Naruto's conscience, the same words that he had rung in his head at the end of the day. Despite their familiarity, he felt nothing but dread and could feel his heart racing as though it were about to erupt from his chest.

 _ **What shall be done when they come to bring ruination to hearth and home?**_

The world around him began to soften into sludge before it solidified into new shapes. They were horrifically demented shapes that slowly came to life, braying in a bestial manner. Cloven feet stamped the earth beneath them as though claiming dominion over this new fiery world. Despite the wild differences between each of them, they all possessed a single trait that unified them, a white mask upon each face that seemed to be a rough imitation of a Grimm's. They beat their chests and shook their horned heads, screaming like savages, before the largest among them began to lead them forward.

Once again the world changed, softening into sludge, then twisting and contorting to form a scene.

It was a city, still wreathed in a tide of eternal flame, but now flickers of shadows moved throughout the streets. They were the beasts, plundering and devouring everything and everyone in sight.

He watched as a man was torn apart by the limbs before his torso and head were thrown out and fed to a pack of mutated hounds. Some of the beasts were feasting on flesh, their faces covered in blood as they gorged themselves on the meat with unholy vigor. Skinned corpses hung by chains, dangling from what remained of lamp posts, overhangs, and windows.

Naruto almost slipped on the tattered remains of some cloth, and it took him but a few seconds to realize what they were: dresses. They had been ripped apart with savage abandon, and soaked in blood amongst other… unmentionable fluids. Naruto gagged as he felt his chest tighten and his throat seized up in disgust. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping to rid himself of the debauchery and atrocities that had unfolded there.

When Naruto reached the end of the street, he cast his eyes on a familiar sight. It was a warped version of his family's estate, the white stone walls surrounding the main building were cast down into rubble, and the ravenous horde had taken to his home.

Blood was splattered everywhere, both within and without of the house, as the clan guardsmen lay bloodied and devoured, their corpses were strewn about the entire area. The Captain of the Guard, Sunao Uzumaki, was speared to the exterior of the estate, his entire chest cavity ripped apart by hungry daemons, and one final look of terror fixed on his face as blood dripped down out of his mouth.

Naruto circumvented the main building, wary of whatever was inside and came upon something that left him petrified.

Though small and at first glance unworthy of any real attention given his surroundings, the sentimental and emotional value it held to him was greater than even the tallest of Vale's mountains. It was a ring made of embroidered sterling silver and jade, with the heraldic symbol of House Namikaze engraved in blackened iron on the head of the ring. A rare gift that was given only to the closest of friends to the clan, mainly in the upper echelons of the royal court.

But there had been a select handful of people who had earned the Namikaze's favor and good will on both the field of battle and in Vale's noble court. Naruto had only ever known one person to bear this ring in his lifetime, and it pained him to see it again, for the last time he had seen it, it had been cremated alongside the remains of its owner.

"No…" The knight just barely whispered out, his gut twisting into layers upon layers of painful knots.

I was weak. I could do nothing but watch as he died.

"Gods no." Unable to stand, Naruto collapsed to his knees, his gauntlets slowly creeping their way up his face until the tips of his fingers tugged at the bottom of his eyelids. Images flashed before his eyes, of the man's end in the world; his honorable last stand before death claimed him.

"I couldn't do anything... Gods forgive me." Naruto's fell into his despair, completely crumbling onto the ground, hands now coiling around his face and shielding his eyes. He began to repeat a mantra, lest he lose himself to this madness.

"I… I am the Unwavering Sword of my Kingdom, the Everlasting Shield of my People, the Instrument of the Divine, and the Righteous Hammer of my Liege and Lady…"

At this point, Naruto felt like he was about to have a mental breakdown if he hadn't already, and repeating this phrase was the only thing keeping him from crossing that road. That is until he felt a humid and rank breath sweep past him like a breeze carrying the scent of fetid garbage.

He looked up and saw one of them.

An unsightly beast, donning a porcelain mask that failed to cover its malformed face and curved horns. There was a small piece of intestinal tract dangling from its mouth as it finished chewing through it. It was covered in a granite grey fur that was matted down with blood and spittle, and hanging from its neck was a collection of bones and body-parts made to be either a cruel trophy of its victims or a snack that would be saved for later on. In its hands, a pair of crude axes, with shafts of wood tipped with a cruel sheet of metal or sharp block of stone. It began to drag its cloven feet through the ground, braying with mirth like a savage predator would upon cornering its prey.

A lesser man upon gazing at such a fetid sight may have simply crumpled over, offering his final prayers before he met his end, or merely stay paralyzed in fear as this beast tore him limb from limb, and did Gods know what with the remains of his corpse.

But he was no lesser man. He was the sole male heir of the grand Namikaze and Uzumaki Houses - at least for the former house - whose very names held weight in Vale and Mistral's courts of intrigue. He was a dutiful servant to the Gods, not just some filthy peasant or an ungrateful commoner who believed they were too intelligent or civilized to worship the divine.

He had yet to bring his aspirations to fruition, and his life was not to end here at the hands of some ignoble beast that lived only to rape and kill.

No, he would fight on to the last breath, till he could move no more or till each and every foul abomination that came his way was dead. His arm shot out, reaching for the daemon's calf, pulling it forward and off its feet.

"Have at you, you furred bastard! I'll not go down without a right and proper fight!" Taking the opportunity, the knight launched himself forward, pouncing on top of this savage creature's chest before sending a flurry of haymakers into its skull.

When one of his punches drew blood from the fiend's mouth, Naruto gave a savage grin beneath his helm and stopped punching the beast and instead grabbed its horns and began slamming the back of its head into the ground as hard as he could. It thrashed under his grip, whining and squealing like a pig realizing it was about to be butchered at the meat house. Still, Naruto said nothing nor took any note of the world around him, and focused solely on this repetitive action which gave him nothing short of pure joy.

 _Naruto._

The man-at-arms heard someone call his name, and - against his best judgement - looked around for a second, searching for any signs of life. Beneath him, the monster took advantage of the opportunity and managed to throw Naruto off its fur covered body. It gave a guttural roar as it charged at him, cleaving its axe into his arm and holding him down with its weight.

Although restrained and in pain, he knew they were all around him. He could smell their foul breaths, and he could hear them beating their chests and howling like the daemonic savages that they were.

 _Naruto!_

The silver-furred beast rolled Naruto over onto his back, reversing their initial positions as it hovered menacingly over him, its breaths growing ever fiercer. Now becoming desperate, the knight began to thrash around wildly, kicking his feet, refusing to be sent into Morr's garden without a fight. But it was too late, and the beast was upon him.

Yet, it did not claw at him like a savage thing, nor did it use its mouth to tear his throat out, no. It dropped its weapons, and placed its hands around his throat, beginning to strangle him. Naruto could do nothing except throw a few more violent kicks into the creature's stomach as his world went dark.

 _Naruto…_

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Team NMBS Dormitory; 06:35]**

When Naruto woke up, the first thing he noticed was that his bed was covered in sweat. The second thing he noticed was that there were people around him.

In his nightmare-fueled panic, Naruto had accidentally struck Mercury who had come to wake him up. The older boy had shaken him awake and was still in front of him now, while Boudicea held his arms tightly from behind.

Mercury had slapped Naruto's cheek, testing whether the knight was entirely awake, "You awake, Naruto?"

Naruto, still too tired to say anything, just absentmindedly nodded in agreement. Mercury gave a sigh and got up off of the sweat soaked bed. "C'mon, we've got classes in an hour."

Again, he nodded, but this time, he slid out of bed and began to walk to the bathroom like a mindless automaton. When he entered the bathroom, Naruto turned around one last time to close the door and what his teammates saw made them more than a tad bit worried.

His eyes looked as lifeless as the corpses in the Emerald Forest's swamps - or at least, what remained of them. They still retained their heterochromatic coloring, but they had lost the intense pride and confidence that Naruto seemed to always display.

No, these were the eyes of someone who had seen the hellish domain of the Younger Brother and had come back to tell the tale.

The moment the door clicked shut, the rest of his team began to speak among themselves.

"What the hell happened to him?" Mercury asked, and although he was undoubtedly the most laidback of the four, there was a strong sense of concern in his voice. Rarely before had he seen someone his age so lifeless. Well, except the dead of course.

"I zhink he gets night terrors." Schrödinger chimed in.

"No shit. The question is, is that as bad as it gets? We had to hold him down and wake him. What if he starts getting really violent?"

"Then I'll deal with him," Boudicea spoke firmly, standing up and off of Naruto's bed. "I can tire him out if I need to."

"I don't know. Should ve bring zhis up to him?"

"Nah. This could just be a one-time thing, so unless it happens again, I say we keep quiet about it."

"I don't know Mercury. Maybe we should try and see what's wrong. Could even ask his sisters if they know something about it."

"Again, this could just be a one-time deal. Maybe it never even happens again."

"They may have a certain method of dealing with it."

"Vell zhen it's settled," Schrödinger said as she clapped her hands together to signify the end of the conversation, "ve vill talk to his sisters about zhis."

"Alright, moving on I guess. What classes do you all have?" Mercury asked everyone, holding up the papers that had been at the foot of the door earlier this morning. "I've got Politics and Economics with Oobleck, Civil Defense - whatever the fuck that is - with Saltzpyre, Combat Lessons with Goodwitch, Grimm Studies with Port, History with Oobleck again, Combat Lessons for a second time, and then Geographical and Environmental Sciences with Peach."

Boudicea pursed her lips as she read over her schedule before nodding and looking back up to face her teammate. "Yeah, same. Erika?"

"Same classes, but some are in a different order: Environmental Sciences, Civil Defense, Combat Lessons, Grimm Studies, History, Combat Lessons, and Politics and Economics."

"Guess we all have basically the same schedule." Schrödinger nodded silently before Mercury spoke again as he looked over to the closed bathroom door. "What do you think his classes are?"

The cat Faunus shrugged her shoulders before replying, "Don't know, but his papers are over zhere on zhe nightschtand."

It took Mercury a nanosecond to process the information before he immediately recalled prior warnings from last night. Merely thinking of the consequences caused him to shirk his head back and cringe ever so slightly. "And go through his shit? Fuck that. I'm not getting whipped and branded on my second day."

"Pffft," Schrödinger stated mockingly, "Don't be such a pussy."

Allowing his head to shrink a little into his shoulders, a deadpanned Mercury muttered beneath his breath. "You're one to talk…"

Although relatively unheard by Boudicea, the mischievous girl's second set of ears twitched, and the edges of her mouth quickly curled upwards into a Cheshire grin. "Maybe… but it just goes to show zhat you don't have a pair."

"Don't have a pair, huh? Well, you know what, fuck you." Mercury stated, having had enough of the smaller girl's taunting. He marched right over to the nightstand and grabbed Naruto's schedule papers.

As he stared down at the papers, he did not see the two girls share a sly look as a small smile became apparent on Boudicea while Schrödinger's own grew ever wider. He took a seat on the nightstand, careful not to press down the full of his weight.

"Looks like he's got a different class than us at the start of the day, the Principles of Leadership with Ozpin, and then basically the rest of our schedules in the same order." His eyes scanned over the document several times before he setting it down, only to gaze upon a sight that made him regret his most recent decisions.

The bathroom door was now open, and in the doorway stood Naruto, who no longer wore his pajamas but instead bore the academy's mandatory uniform. After a refreshing hot shower and some time to recuperate, he looked much better than earlier, his hair was like a mass of molten gold, without a single strand of hair straying from its intended placement, further supporting the knight's meticulous behavior.

He had been adjusting his tie as he was leaving the bathroom but stopped suddenly when he saw that Mercury was holding his papers.

Sure, one could argue that he hadn't gone over it himself, nor had he actually touched it, but it certainly did not excuse this breach of privacy - especially the night after he had established the rules.

Naruto didn't even break eye contact as he reached down to his pants, and slid his black leather belt off, wrapping it once around his right hand and then folding it so that the stainless steel buckle would be the first thing that made contact when he swung it into the head of this thief.

Mercury raised his hands up in surrender, attempting to explain the situation. "Now, hold on Naruto. It's not what it looks like." As he made to move away from the knight, he accidentally slid off the piece of furniture and thudded onto the floor, before quickly scuttling back until he could go no farther.

Naruto continued to say nothing as he took heavy and menacing steps forward, letting the sound of his boots on the hardwood floor ring throughout the room, using the reverberation to its fullest effect.

Upon reaching Mercury, Naruto raised his hand up, and the gleam of the iron buckle sheened from the early morning light, and like a deer caught in the headlights, the older boy refused to budge, and just stared at the belt that dangled from the knight's hand. Instead of the agonizing pain that he was expecting, Naruto simply wrenched the paper out of his hands and gave a snort of derision before he turned around and headed to the beds.

"Consider that act of mercy as a warning. Do it again, and not only will I actually beat you, but I'll use a spiked flail that the church's zealots are fond of rather than a leather belt."

He unfolded the document and scanned through the details, committing everything from the teachers' names to room numbers to his memory. Folding it up into a perfect square, he placed it in his pocket before pulling out his scroll to check the time.

"Well then, I believe it's time that we begin heading to class. We have but a scant few minutes before our first period. Shall we leave?" Naruto asked his question with a subtly demanding tone, and although it was worded to be a request, it was almost entirely rhetorical.

His teammates nodded, gathering their things before they headed off to their classes, with Boudicea and Mercury grouping together to head to History, while Naruto and Schrödinger split off to their own courses.

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, West Wing; 06:57]**

As Naruto walked down the vast stone halls of Beacon Academy, the sounds of the school grounds all but enveloped him. The clamor of students speaking just outside the doorways of their classrooms, the pitter-patter of teenagers running to and fro, and on occasion, the conversations of some of the faculty. But the knight cared little for what was around him, his eyes fixed to the end of the hallway in an empty and emotionless gaze, his mind off in its own world even as a third-year student accidentally bolted into his left shoulder and hastily apologized.

 _Another dreadful night terror. I wonder… is it merely a reconstruction of last night's events, or could it be a premonition? A vision of a future that may yet come?_

He pondered internally as he took a sharp right down at the end of the hallway, venturing ever closer to the heart of Beacon Academy where his first class lay waiting.

 _They never seem to end. One nightmare after the other, interspersed with the occasional pleasant dream. Therapy and medicine have failed to relieve the nightmares, so what am I to do? Wallow about until I go mad?_

Naruto sighed heavily as he massaged the bridge of his nose, pushing the pair of pince-nez up his brow. It took him a second to realize that he had reached his destination, and though he had yet to open the door, he could hear the small number of people inside conversing amongst themselves.

As he took one final breath, preparing to face the rest of the world - or at least that which was isolated here in this classroom - he opened the door revealing several of the team leaders in his generation, all of which he knew to some degree.

Shiro was reading a small book at the far end of the row, the light from the nearby window pouring into her hands like a liquid gold that illuminated each page. When she adjusted her position, shifting in her seat and idly twirling a lock of her hair with her fingers, he caught sight of what she was reading: Ninjas of Love, Volume Four.

 _Such a foul book she reads that is if it can even be called a book._

Next to her was the young and innocent - if not naive - Ruby Rose, speaking with as much enthusiasm and fervor as she always did. Perhaps too much, to the point where it became nigh impossible for anyone to understand her, let alone keep up with her mental speed.

Though upon noticing who sat next to his twin's best friend certainly drained any thoughts of pity for whoever had to sit next to the sugar-fueled girl. It was the … Arc boy.

 _Gods, it even pains me to think of his name._

He seemed to be trying to make some sense out of the practically one-sided conversation but was failing - though most anyone would very much agree, to keep up and understand Ruby Rose was a tricky task indeed. Even his twin sister, who could be just as hyperactive would sometimes fall a little behind.

Behind them, he saw who was likely one of his oldest acquaintances attending the school, Cardin Winchester, son of the mighty Buteo Winchester, a veteran of the Faunus War. Much like his father, he was a hulking behemoth of a man, with broad shoulders and a height that could intimidate all save for a handful of other students and faculty.

Although silent, he seemed to be in the act of wadding up a few strands of paper, but it was done peculiarly. Cardin crumpled up the paper in the quietest way possible. He proceeded to close one of his eyes, and held one hand out with his thumb up, trying to map the trajectory of his paper ball.

As his boots clapped on the stone tiles of the floor, all eyes turned to face him, each with a different expression to his presence.

Shiro, the ever loving older sister that she was, gave him a warm and comforting smile that hearkened back to their younger years where they would play in the gardens of the family estate, under the loving gaze of their parents. It gave him some comfort to know that his big sister was there - though he would likely never admit that to anyone, perhaps not even to Shiro.

Ruby, still as eccentric and excited as before simply grinned and waved to the young man as he entered the door, Naruto responding by giving a small yet polite smile in return. Though a reaction he enjoyed far more thoroughly was that of Jaune's.

The boy had been staring at Ruby when he had walked in the door, and as a result, took a second longer to turn around. When he did though… the skin on his face pulled, and his pupils contracted as though he had seen a wraith of legend, or a Gheist from Mistral's forests. Naruto could not help but chuckle in amusement - internally of course - as he still managed to torment the heir of the Arc family by mere presence alone. The poor boy looked like he was frozen, utterly unmoving save for wary eyes following the knight's movements.

Finally, Cardin, who had not turned his head to face Naruto, was taking the opportunity to line up a precise shot at Jaune's unmoving head. Having managed to compact about half a pound of paper into a thick ball no bigger than his hand, he threw it overhand with the skill of one of the lesser pitchers from the Valian Woodsmen, earning him a soft but noticeable thunk when it hit its mark.

The brute grinned in response and at last his gaze met Naruto's, both filled with mirth at the former's actions. He sat down to Cardin's left, directly behind Jaune and Ruby, where the two began to make their own quiet conversation.

"Good morning, Cardin."

"Morning Naruto. So, how did you sleep?"

Naruto's polite smile disappeared, and his face was marred with a weary frown, providing only a curt response. "Rather poorly."

"Another nightmare?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"How often do those come again? I think you told me before you went off to Sanctum, but too much has gone on for me to remember."

The knight tilted his head in thought, before giving his answer. "Maybe once or twice a month. Everything between is either a normal dream or naught but darkness."

Though Naruto didn't see it, Cardin quirked his eyes in confusion, which frequently happened in the company of the younger boy. It wasn't that Cardin didn't know what his acquaintance's choice of words meant, it was more so his apprehension at Naruto's decision to use said words.

Even after knowing him for nearly half a decade, the knight's expansive vocabulary and almost archaic idiolect still left him baffled.

"Right…"

A few seconds passed by as the room fell into an awkward yet ear-grating silence, the only sound being the tick of the wall's clock and the occasional flip of a page.

Without warning the door creaked open, and all eyes again turned to see who had entered. It seemed their professor had decided to arrive at precisely o-seven hundred hours. His aging grey hair, circular glasses, and the feeling of aloofness that radiated from his being made him instantly recognizable as Headmaster Ozpin, though even Naruto was still a bit confused as to why the headmaster of the academy was teaching a class, no less a first-year course.

"Good morning, students." the older man gently sipped his coffee and said nothing more as he walked down the lecture hall, the tap of his cane and shoes on the stone like a three-beat rhythm that seemed to rouse the students out of their torpor.

While Jaune and Ruby seemed a little unnerved by their new teacher's choice of - or rather lack of - a long-winded introduction, the two siblings waited patiently, with the oldest of the two closing her book and folding her hands together. Cardin opted to lay back in his seat, hands supporting the back of his neck as a sign of relaxation.

Even as he reached the podium at the center of the lecture hall, Ozpin still remained silent. After a minute, he finally spoke. "Tell me, what is a leader?"

Everyone seemed to shift in their seat as they began to process what had been said, though Cardin most of all held the least care, still in the same position, now having narrowed his eyes in thought. The silence soon became deafening as each individual attempted to think up a proper response to the professor's vague and random question.

 _Is he testing our knowledge from prior academies? Or perhaps he isn't looking for a definitive answer?_

Ozpin very well may have stayed silent for the entire two hours of the class had Naruto not decided to answer his question. "A leader is one who not only governs those beneath him but is also responsible for them and their well-being."

Still saying nothing, Ozpin looked around to the rest of the class as each them started to feel confident enough in their own answers.

Cardin went next, "A leader is someone who can make tough decisions in tough situations."

As did Shiro, "A leader is someone who is able to keep calm despite their surroundings, lead those around them and inspire confidence." She spoke warmly,

Ruby had practically shot up out of her seat to answer his question, "A leader is someone who protects and leads those around her, and can be both smart and caring!"

Ozpin turned and looked over to the only person who hadn't answered, who in response, shrunk in his seat a little as though trying to turtle up into his chair. Though relatively unseen, the headmaster gave the boy a curt nod of understanding and decided to respond to the whole class.

"Well, I suppose that none of you are wrong. Though none of you were entirely right either." Ozpin spoke to each of them, surveying the reaction of each of his young students as he sipped some more of his coffee. "You all have much to learn about leadership, and that is why you are here in my classroom."

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, East Wing; 09:00]**

"Gods, I thought he'd never stop talking." Cardin said, stumbling out of Ozpin's classroom and into the quickly filling hallways.

"Now, Cardin," Naruto started off like a wise father or an older brother, close in tow behind the hulking student. "You and I both know what to expect of our classes. Though to be honest, he could certainly cut back on all hypotheticals."

Taking a shortcut through the hallways, they ended up in Beacon's large courtyard that divided the different wings of the academy, with the famous Huntsmen statue and fountain closer to the Main Hall.

"So you're saying that he should shut up?"

"Well. I'm not saying no."

Before Cardin could respond, they heard the many bell towers that surrounded Beacon sound off all at once. It was a thundering euphony that despite its intensity, sounded refined and harmonious, something that the knight found great pleasure in listening to.

While the younger boy was almost completely enraptured by the tolls of the grand belfries, Cardin turned around and looked at his friend with bewilderment. Naruto stood silently, his mouth hung slightly open as he gazed up at the greatest of the towers, rivalled only in height by Headmaster Ozpin's personal tower.

"You uh, okay there buddy?"

"Hmm, what?" His trance suddenly broken, Naruto snapped back into reality. "Did you say something, Cardin?"

"Yeah, I did. You totally there, man?"

"Yes… yes. Just got a little distracted, that's all." As he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, even Cardin, someone who was not known for his observational skills, could easily tell how tired his younger friend was.

For one, his posture had seemed to falter ever-so-slightly from his usual, with the smallest of hunches visible as his body leaned forward, as though waiting for the opportunity to collapse onto a bed. His eyes seemed narrower - and not just because he was from Eastern Mistral - than usual, like he was struggling to keep them open, and though Naruto was often very prone to being distracted by something that resonated with his personality or interests, he rarely let it surpass his academic duties.

"Alright, well, let's see." Cardin seemed to fumble with his thoughts for a second, not sure of how to proceed or whether Naruto was completely there. "What class do you got next?"

"I have Civil Defense with a Professor Saltzpyre. Am I to presume you do as well?"

"Yup."

"Then, shall we go to our class?"

The brute gave a low grunt and nudged Naruto forward to Beacon's West Wing.

In terms of build, the towering figure of Cardin went relatively unopposed even by the majority of second and third year students. Allowing the larger of the two to lead the way, Naruto towed closely behind, catching glimpses of disgruntled students who were giving them vindictive glares after being shoved.

As Cardin spotted their room's number, he steadily began to home in on his target, making a more concentrated effort of shoving more and more people out of the way. Though if Naruto was being honest, it was beginning to seem more like an endless tide of Grimm than a student body, as they continuously streamed out of the hallways and corridors like rushing water through a canal.

Though for a brief moment Naruto noticed another giant clearing his way through the crowd. The large rat faunus from the other night, was carving a path with his massive presence alone - whether out of fear or respect, he did not know. More peculiarly was the smaller figure that clung to his back, made noticeable by the assortment of metal gadgets and their flickering green lights. Their appearance was short lived however, as Naruto was wrenched out of the crowd by Cardin.

Snapping back into the present, Naruto was quick to take a survey of the room. The majority of the freshmen teams were here, split up into their unofficial cliques with Teams RWBY and JNPR in the corner opposite to the entrance, while Teams CRDL and NMBS congregated closer to the doorway. Team SETH was also present, albeit divided between the two groups.

As the two headed over to their clique, the first to notice their presence was the ever aware - and seemingly ever present - Schrödinger, whose ears had started twitching the moment the door had opened. The rest followed suit, taking notice of their approaching leaders. Some smiled while others offered some form of acknowledgement, nodding their heads or simply making eye contact.

"Good morning everyone." Despite his drowsiness, Naruto made a strong attempt to deepen his voice, and was rewarded with a more attentive response from his team.

Mercury collapsed his scroll and Schrödinger finally found a single figure to focus on. Boudicea however hadn't turned away from him since he had entered the room, showing off an almost military respect to her captain's presence. Even their postures highlighted the differences between them. While the Atlesian and - presumable - Valian were slouched and casual, Boudicea stood as straight as humanly possible, illustrating her full six feet and nine inches.

She stepped forward, bridging the gap between Naruto and their clique. "Morning Naruto, how was your first class?"

"It was… interesting to say the least. Ozpin is a very odd if not unorthodox professor. He seems more keen on questioning us then teaching but perhaps there's more to it."

Naruto drummed his fingers against his chin in rapid succession, only taking a few moments to think before he realized he wasn't getting a response.

When he glanced over at the woman, she was mesmerized by something.

She was completely zoned out, entranced by something else. Or she had immediately lost interest.

"Boudicea?"

"Huh... huh?" The warrior woman slowly stumbled back into reality, blinking vigorously as though trying to readjust to the lighting.

"Are you alright?"

A smile began to slowly creep onto her face, "Yeah sorry, just got so bored of the lecture, thought I might catch a little sleep."

He deadpanned, "Oh piss off."

She simply laughed and slapped his shoulder. Before she could speak again, the belfries tolled a final time, marking the start of class and quickly ending their awkward conversation. Yet unlike before, just as the bell rung a man walked into the classroom.

He was tall, a trait further pronounced by his wide-brimmed capotain, complete with a skull-shaped icon on the front of its crown. His shaven face, sunken cheeks, and sharp angular features gave him the look a tired officer, and a single grizzled - working - eye stared back at the class, hawkishly surveying the room while his mouth remained in a perpetual frown.

The professor gave a grunt of annoyance before slowly walking over to his desk at the head of the room, the golden buckles and what sounded like ammunition rattling around on his person.

"Sit down. All of you. Class begins now."

Everyone shuffled to get to a seat, with Teams JNPR, RWBY, and SETH taking up the front half of the room, while NMBS and CRDL took their places in the rear.

All were silent, save for one.

"So Ren, who do you think this guy is?" Nora tried her hardest to keep her talking to a whisper, but ultimately failed much to Ren's chagrin.

"Do you think he's our professor?"

Said professor could clearly hear her, his sole eye narrowing onto the girl.

"Do you think he's a super professor?" Ren at this point had his face covered by his hands, hiding his beet red blush. Unaware of her friend's embarrassment, she continued on.

Tired of this disruption, the professor reached into the side pocket of his overcoat, withdrawing a flintlock pistol. He cocked the hammer before raising it high and blasting a hole into the ceiling.

"I do not have the patience nor the time to tolerate your antics. So either sit still and be quiet or be removed from this Academy!"

Nora, startled by the sudden gunshot sunk back into her seat like a frightened child.

"Hmph. Now then, I am Victor Saltzpyre, however you will address me as Mister or Professor Saltzpyre. I am in charge of the Civil and Internal Defense of the Kingdom."

Ruby shyly held her hand up, "Uh, excuse me sir? Mr. Saltzpyre?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I was wondering, what is civil and internal defense?"

Saltzpyre raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Are you trying to annoy me, girl?" He took off his capotain revealing a neatly trimmed greying-black hair that led to a widow's peak.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, he spoke again just as coldly. "It is the defense of the kingdom from internal threats."

"But I thought we were just supposed to fight -"

"The Grimm?" The words seethed from his mouth like venom, "Don't be stupid. You will have to face humans and faunus at some point in your career."

Some paled while others grimaced at the thought of killing people. Criminal or no, they were still flesh and blood.

"And judging from your reaction to this, I doubt any of you were prepared for this." His callous frown began to shift into cold indifference.

"Which is where I come in. I have served this glorious kingdom and its people dutifully for two decades now and am now here to pass my knowledge and experience unto you."

He gestured out to the entire class. "Starting today, you will learn the basics of spotting and investigating criminal or terrorist behavior. Firstly, recognizing major organizations…"

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, West Wing; 11:00]**

As class ended, the freshmen teams all began to migrate towards their next shared class: Combat training. Many could barely hide their eagerness to test their mettle in front of their teams. At the very front, Naruto and Cardin led the way as their teams followed closely behind.

"Well, that was entertaining. Didn't think a single guy - Huntsman or not - could bag so many White Fang in a day."

"Oh most certainly. But to be able to track them by their hidden dust marks? Simply remarkable."

As the party exited the West Wing and entered the main courtyard, they felt the blast of cool Autumn air rush into the open doors.

"Doesn't hurt that they were White Fang either. Serves 'em right. Anyone who kills those fuckers gets an A in my book." Reminded of past pains, Cardin instinctively clenched his fists in anger, in need of something to restrain his emotions.

"Yes, well said friend. It is quite endearing to know someone's making an effort to purge those filthy degenerates, isn't it?"

"Damn fucking right."

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of amber eyes glared at the two from further back in the courtyard. Someone else had overheard their somewhat controversial discussion.

Reaching the doors to the Main Hall, the two propped each door open before continuing to lead their teams in. As they were doing so, a burst of red rushed inside so quickly they didn't even catch of glimpse of who or what it was.

Blinking rapidly, Cardin called out to his friend, "What in the fuck was that?"

Naruto's attention, however, was on the ground. He kneeled down and grabbed the distinctive calling card left in the object's wake. Rose petals. Though he didn't even need to say who.

Sprinting into the entrance, Tsuki bent forward, panting as she tried to keep up. She managed to wheeze out, "No fair... Ruby! I can't… keep up with you... like that!" before resuming her chase.

"Ruby? As in Rose?"

Naruto nodded.

"The tiny one, about half my height? Looks about your age?"

Naruto nodded again.

There was a look of absolute bewilderment on Cardin's face as he looked back and forth from the courtyard to the interior of the lobby. "You're fucking positive?"

"Quite. Ruby and my twin are best friends. Too often have my summers here in Vale been drowned in a tide of rose petals." As their teams walked on through the gate, Cardin leaned in closer to Naruto.

"So then… if you know Ruby, you must know her sister right? The tall, blonde with the pretty eyes?"

Never before had Naruto seen Cardin so curious and nervous, it was all rather peculiar. Even the socially inept Naruto could recognize his friend's crush. But before he could answer, said blonde stepped between them.

"What's up little bro? You look so prim and proper in your uniform, it's just adorable!" Her words were only punctuated by the way she affectionately fixed his collar and adjusted his tie.

A feminine hand grasped the playful blonde's shoulder. "C'mon Yang. You don't need to constantly torture the poor boy." Shiro always seemed to be his savior when it came to Yang.

"But he's just so cute and lovable."

"Let's go." Hands on both shoulders now, she gently nudged her friend forward into the lobby.

Weiss passed through just after the two blondes, giving a curt bow and receiving a nod from both boys. Blake followed, though paid no attention to either of them, instead angrily looking forward at nothing in particular.

Team JNPR walked through finally with Pyrrha at the head, giving a pleasant smile and wave to Naruto. He attempted to return the favor, smiling as best as he could to his rival. Ren and Nora seemed lost in their own world, though it would be more accurate to state that Nora was dragging Ren into her world. Then, Jaune came last and was the least confident of all of them, shirking back at the sight of Naruto and Cardin.

Lingering for a second longer, the two let go of the doors and entered the building. When Team JNPR passed around the corridor, Naruto finally responded to Cardin's question.

"Yes, I do. However, I would not advise you to pursue Yang in any way that is beyond professional. Besides, what would your father, an Archbishop of the Church, think of such a… I hate to say it, but it cannot be denied, a licentious woman?"

Cardin looked down, the hope gone from his eyes, "Yeah, I guess that's true. Dad wouldn't approve of her. Mom might, but I don't know."

"Come, we have a class to get to."

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Amphitheatre; 11:10]**

"Good morning, everyone. As you know, I am Glynda Goodwitch and will be your combat instructor today." She looked as serious as ever, standing at the very center of the stage.

"To start, I want to gauge where all of you are at, so for the next few classes, we'll be sparring against one another." She took a quick glance at a list in her hands before turning back to face her class. "Boudicea and Shiro, please head to the lockers and prepare for combat."

Both nodded as they walked to a door to the rear of the seating area.

In the meantime, Glynda activated the bleacher function of the seats, raising each section until a colosseum was practically formed from the amphitheatre. Students again congregated into their established cliques and began to conversate as they waited for the two combatants to finish gearing up.

Several minutes later, Boudicea dressed in her mail hauberk walked up to the stage. There were a few noticeable differences from the last time he had seen her wearing it. Firstly, the gaping hole that the Jabberwock had left was now repaired and showed no signs of previous damage. Either she had done it while he was on his mission last night, or one of the faculty at the academy had. Secondly, her hair had been carefully braided back to fit nicely behind her head.

Shiro followed shortly after, wearing her usual attire but with no hat just like the night before. Perhaps she had lost it in the forest? Regardless, it was of no consequence - though he might ask her about it later on. She wore a pair of elegant black gloves that matched her outfit, marked with white runes that glowed with power, and twirled the channeling rod in her hand like one might do idly with a pencil.

The stepped up onto the stage, doing some final stretches before giving a nod to Glynda to signal that they were ready. As the lights began to dim in the amphitheatre save the actual arena's, Boudicea turned over to her captain in the crowd.

Naruto gave her a small smile, before nodding encouragingly. She too smiled as she turned around to face Shiro.

The differences between the two were crystal clear.

Boudicea had retained her smile, though it was quickly becoming less peaceful and much more malicious. War was undoubtedly in her blood, a staple of her tribe in Mistral's temperate valleys and taigas. She longed for fighting the same way birds needed to fly, or fish to swim. The battle axe and broadsword combination she had brought only made that more obvious.

On the other hand, Shiro was still twirling her wand, as calm and composed as ever. Her posture and behavior were nearly identical to Ms. Goodwitch, her personal mentor and their aunt. But where Glynda often showed a sort of cold indifference, Shiro always had a polite smile on her face.

"Begin your fight in three…"

Shiro stopped twirling her wand, drawing it to her side like she was about to give a backstroke.

"Two…"

Boudicea arched forward, her grip tightening around her axe and sword.

"One. Begin!"

Shiro swung her channeling rod out, launching a projectile of white condensed aura. But before it could hit its target, Boudicea had already sprung into action.

Rolling out of the way, she hooked her axe to her belt and channeled her aura into the blade to use as a pseudo-shield.

Mixing in a combination of dodges, ducks, dips, dives, and more dodges with an aggressive push towards her opponent, Boudicea was all but unassailable.

The moment Shiro could see the whites of Boudicea's eyes, she knew that one more second rooted to her spot would be her undoing. She lashed out with her wand, creating a surrounding halo of energy that expanded out at chest level.

Seeing the immediate counter-attack, Boudicea dove down beneath the corona, unhooking her axe before she thrust forth with her broadsword. Yet it did not strike the witch's aura like it was intended. Instead, a fork-like blade had caught and parried her sword, twisting to loosen the berserker's grip.

Shiro was already channeling aura into her left glove, the runes leading to her index and middle finger lit up as she formed her hand into a finger gun. Energy hummed at her fingertips, as she let loose another bolt of energy at point blank range.

Smoke and dust exploded from the impact, blinding the rest of their peers to what had happened. Always wary of trickery, Shiro had already withdrawn her parrying blade, holding it in a defensive posture while carefully scanning the surrounding arena.

As the smoke began to clear, Boudicea's stony semblance had once again protected her. Dark shards of granite shed from her skin like a snake, dropping to the ground like falling stalactites.

She grinned hungrily, eager for the challenge, but she still needed to close the distance.

Lunging out, she bridged the gap in less than a few seconds and swung her axe from the opposite side.

When Shiro's parrying fork had come out to catch the axe head, Boudicea was prepared. She had reversed her grip on the broadsword, swinging it out to her opposite shoulder before stabbing out. Finally, her blade had hit its mark.

Instinctively, a white shield had begun to coalesce around the tip of the blade catching it from going any further. Shiro was starting to show physical strain as sweat began to run down her head, but showed no signs of giving up. Wrenching her axe free, Boudicea fought with both weapons with inhuman vigor, each strike blocked or parried by Shiro's weapon.

Sparks flew as Mistralian iron struck Valian steel, each attack was immediately followed up by the other weapon, giving the witch no time to recover or make for a counter-attack. A diagonal slash with her war axe knocked the forked parrying blade out of Shiro's hand, and the savage raised her weapons to deliver the final blow. Before she could, Shiro fired at the ground and brought up more smoke and debris.

As both backed off, Shiro began to lay waste to whatever was beyond her veil of smoke, her blasts of energy whistling past her opponent like fiery rockets. Disoriented, Boudicea barely managed to dodge a shot before another hit her square in the shoulder. Her sword clattering to the ground, Boudicea dropped to the ground to avoid the volleys of energy that surged above.

The barbarian crawled beneath the smoke, clutching her axe tightly until she could see the witch's shoes. She took a deep breath and rushed out from the smoke like a bolt of lightning piercing the clouds. Another shot struck her this time in the chest, but she ignored it, all too eager to care about a single blow when victory was so close.

Unprepared and a little dazed herself, Shiro only just began to back up when Boudicea's shoulder connected with her gut. Aura or no, it felt like a train had collided into her. The two blasts of condensed aura she had been charging fired off into the ceiling, and she could only watch helplessly as an axe moved to cleave into her aura.

A buzzer rang out in the arena, and the lights outside brightened significantly.

Standing below the stage, Glynda kept her upright posture as she looked confidently toward her students. "Excellent work, girls. A few words of advice: Miss Ríoga, you need to be more patient and observe your opponent instead of recklessly charging in. And Miss Namikaze, you need to maintain your distance from your opponents. We both know you're not meant to fight up close, and a confrontation like that in the field would mean certain death."

There was a slight air of embarrassment surrounding Shiro as she took on some of the typical mannerisms of her younger sister, rubbing the back of her neck and chuckling. Boudicea on the other hand just had a small smile on her face, staring back into the crowd at Naruto who gave her an approving nod.

"Regardless, you girls still performed well. Please take your seats, and we'll begin the next round."

Shiro and Boudicea turned to face one another, the former offered her hand and remarked warmly, "You fought well."

Her offering was returned as Boudicea gave her a firm handshake. "As did you."

"So, you're Naruto's friend right? From Sanctum?"

"That's right, known him since he skipped two grades and ended up in my class."

"He didn't cause you too much trouble did he?"

The two continued chatting as they made their way into the locker rooms, unaware that Naruto could hear their conversation as they passed the bleacher by. He was thoroughly embarrassed, to say the least.

 _Gods why? Why must my siblings and their friends work to destroy my reputation?_

Glynda turned back to class and announced the next pair, "Cardin Winchester and Yang Xiao Long."

As Yang hopped down, Cardin looked to Naruto before whispering, "Shit, is this somehow karma for being interested in her?"

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "What? No. Why would that be karma?"

"Shit man, I don't know. The universe is fucking weird like that."

"No it isn't, now shut up, get down there and fight her."

As Cardin started to walk down the knight tugged on his sleeve. "Oh, and one more thing. She's a brawler, a fast one at that. Make sure you keep some distance between you and her, or it's over."

He nodded and marched down into the locker room.

Another couple of minutes went by, and the previous pair of combatants returned to the bleachers, having freshened up in the locker room showers. Shiro and Boudicea made their way up the steps, barely separating to continue talking as they moved closer to their teams.

"So, let me ask you a question. How come of the three of you, Naruto's the most…" Boudicea scratched her chin for a second, thinking of the right word to use. "What's the best way to put it?"

"Eccentric?" Shiro offered only to be met with a shake of the head.

"No… oh, I got it. Why is he so fucking weird compared to you guys?"

"Oh, that? I think he just takes being a huntsman and our heritage a bit too seriously. He was always really close to our grandparents and great-grandparents. Took a lot after them."

"I can definitely see that."

Shiro held a hand over her mouth, barely stifling the laughter that threatened to pour out. "One time, he and our grandfather had returned home for dinner and were like two peas in a pod. Always agreeing with one another, grumbling about the same things, they were practically the same person, just different ages and different hair color."

The two shared a hearty laugh, before being silenced by their professor. "Quiet down girls."

Yang was the first out of the lockers, wearing her usual garbs and looking almost as eager as Boudicea had on her way out. But unlike Boudicea, there was a giddy bounce in each step, and she was filled with a less concerning form of excitement.

Cardin followed soon after, rotating his arms and twisting his torso to get a quick stretch in. In his hands was a great morning star, made of polished iron and covered in small metal barbs. The head was hollowed out, and filled with some kind of organic material that occasionally slipped out of its container.

Both walked up onto the stage, Yang retained her usual, cheerful and eager attitude but Cardin was a different story. He somehow was both anxious and trying to be intimidating. The brute was doing the latter reasonably well: puffing up his chest, straightening his posture, et cetera but his intimidation tactics were hampered by his inability to keep a stable, confident look on Yang. Instead, he kept looking to Naruto as though asking for advice even as the lights began to dim.

The last thing Cardin saw was Naruto motioning to pay attention to his opponent. When he did, he was utterly dumbfounded. A pair of enchanting lilac eyes and a mane of golden blonde hair that glowed like the sun looked right back at him. All he could ask himself was ' _How in the fuck was he supposed to fight her?'_

So lost in thought was he that he barely realized Glynda had already finished the countdown.

"Begin!"

Yang charged him so quickly that all he could do was bring his morning star to block the first punch.

 _Remember what Naruto said, 'keep your distance.'_

Using the shaft of his weapon to parry her flurry of blows, Cardin continually backed away from the brawler trying to come up with a plan of attack. For him, it was a slow, attritional grind and felt like hours were going by as she stole away his energy with her punches - and feminine charms.

Again lost in her beauty, blocking became almost second nature, and he barely realized that he managed to bunt her fist, knocking it off course. Reeling back into reality, he saw the opportunity to swing at an open target with the backstroke, but there was some hesitation when he swung his mace around, a doubt in whether he should hit her or not. Unfortunately for him, it was all she needed to see it coming.

Yang ducked low in a boxer's stance, fists held vertically and close to her chest, and the morning star shot over her head by a considerable margin. As he looked down to meet his foe's gaze, he caught sight of something more… striking.

Beneath her dazzling eyes and enthusiastic smile, was her very open and very uncovered cleavage. Cardin became as red as his namesake, just standing there unsure of what to do. He rarely ever saw anyone who dressed off or showed that much skin in his upbringing, even the Dustnet at home had been relatively restricted by his conservative parents. To see and be this close to a woman he found so utterly attractive was mind-boggling to him.

And so it was that in his listless state, he didn't even move to block what felt a truck slamming into his lower jaw followed by a blast of fiery pellets. If his aura hadn't caught it, he'd probably be barely clinging to consciousness or life for that matter. It didn't help that she pulled both fists back before hammering his chest like one would a drum.

The fight became more of a pummeling as Yang struck his gut repeatedly, his bright red aura forming around each fist. He was caught in a chain and couldn't even move to get out or resist. A final punch slammed between his pecs and sent him sprawling to the ground. He could just feel his auras dipping into their reserves when the buzzer rang out, ending the round - and his beating.

Cardin felt so weak; so defeated that he didn't even attempt to get up and face the rest of his peers. Thinking of Naruto's reaction, he could only imagine how his friend would scold him on his fuck up, how he had brought 'shame and dishonor' to his family. He lightly smacked the back of his head into the cold tiling beneath and closed his eyes trying to bury his shame.

 _Fuck._

"And Mr. Winchester?"

He could barely contain his downcast tone, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Please try to take the fight seriously. Not everyone you fight will stop when your aura gets too low."

Cardin gave a dejected sigh under his breath. "Understood ma'am."

 _Just fucking kill me._

"Yo, dude?"

It felt like his eyelids were made of boulders, but when they did part, he could see those pretty lilac eyes that had beaten his ass staring back. There was some degree of concern in them, but they still kept their playful vibrancy.

"Need a hand?" She extended her hand out to him, "You look pretty fucked."

He took a deep breath in before arching his body up. "That's cause I am. You hit pretty hard you know?"

Yang flashed a cheeky grin at the compliment, "Well, I try."

Cardin took her hand, gripping it with the remnants of his strength.

 _Holy fuck, her grip is like a steel trap. She has to be hitting that gym twenty-four/seven, doing nothing but deadlifts and pull-ups._

Pulled up onto his feet, he could barely stand, much less move and was still having a bit of trouble trying to breathe. He began to limp down the steps when Yang wrapped his left arm behind her neck and held onto it, her right hand going behind his back and holding him up from under his right armpit.

Swallowing a glob of spit that had begun to form the moment her hand touched his, he spoke with whatever was left of his usual confidence. "Thanks. For the help that is."

"Yeah, no problem. After fucking you up that badly, I figured the least I could do is help you out."

There was a short bout of silence from there, and as they passed by the bleachers, he saw the bemused smile of Naruto who just shook his head mockingly. As they entered the door to the locker areas, Yang spoke up again.

"You know you probably shouldn't stare at my boobs in the middle of the fight, right?"

His face flushed with crimson again and he sputtered trying to come up with a response. Yang just laughed teasingly. "Then again, my technique worked so… might be a bit too hard for a boy to resist."

"You call showing a little cleavage a technique?"

"Hey as long as it works. Worked on you didn't it?"

He held his head down, even more, his feet starting to drag along the floor as he relaxed his muscles.

"Shit dude, c'mon don't make me do all of the work."

As the two made their way into the lockers, Glynda was prepared to announce the next two combatants.

"Pyrrha Nikos and Naruto Namikaze, please ready yourselves for combat."

The two warriors made their way down the steps, with Boudicea and Schrödinger giving Naruto a confident and encouraging look, aware of his running rivalry with the Spartan. When he looked over to his other teammate, he saw that he was still talking to Hassan. Seemed the two had become fast friends.

Pyrrha was right behind him as he opened the doors of the locker room, and was the first to speak. "So Naruto, how many spars will this make? One hundred and fifty, right?"

Naruto responded instantly. "One hundred and sixty-seven."

"Right. And how are you doing?"

"Quite fine. Yourself?"

He didn't see it, but she looked a little disquiet as she spoke again. "I hope that our little squabble yesterday didn't ruin our relationship?"

 _No, I still see you as the greatest obstacle so far._

"No, you're still my rival regardless of our agreements or lack thereof."

Pyrrha nodded her head despondently as the two split up to begin preparing for combat. Taking himself to the corner set of lockers, Naruto imagined a set of armor from his collection before activating his semblance and watching the eldritch tendrils slither out carrying the pieces of his gear.

Black iron and shining gold decorations were the patterns for today's set as he strapped an elaborately designed burgonet to his head, the gorget sliding cleanly into the upper portion of the cuirass. He kept the falling buffe of his helm up for now and used his armored hands to graze the iron crest of the burgonet. It was sharpened to the point that it could split most cloth with ease and had he not been wearing his gauntlets, it likely would have sliced through his fingers. He looked into the mirror, rotating himself to see the less visible parts of the armor, checking to make sure everything was correctly in place.

Satisfied, he began to flex and admire his work of art in the mirror. "Ah, my armor shines! I look resplendent!"

The tendrils gave him a nudge, holding a hefty bill - the words _Ladro di Scudo_ (Thief of Shields) neatly carved into the wood - in one and sword-hilted dagger - about a foot and a third in length - in the other. Naruto gave a reserved grin as he slowly took hold of each weapon. He quickly got used to the bill's weight and center of mass, even giving it a few practice swings and twirls.

 _Ah, an excellent weapon. Should suit this fight quite well._

Striking the ground with the counterweight and letting the polearm lean in into his left shoulder, he took ahold of his sidearm. Unsheathing the dagger, he was about to admire the polished designs and swirls that were engraved into the blade when Cardin stepped out of the private areas of the locker room wearing his uniform, with what looked like some kind of bandaging or wrap in his hand.

They immediately made eye contact, and Naruto gave a slow chuckle that reminded the other boy of distant rumbling thunder. It continued to pick up until it was a full blown laugh, and Naruto was pointing the blade at Cardin trying to hold his insides while also keeping the bill in his other hand. "You lost in the worst way I could've expected!"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

"I understood that you were likely going to lose that match, a combination of your interest in her and inability to actually fight girls told me that much. But to last only five minutes? By the Gods, man! That's just too funny. You didn't even work up enough of a sweat to shower!"

Cardin puffed up his chest, trying to take control of the conversation, "Fuck off man. It was a fluke, I could've easily won that had I not been so distracted."

Yang responded immediately to his statement, "No, you couldn't. And what's up Naruto? You up to fight now too, or you just here to admire yourself and your armor? Or maybe you're here to admire me?"

He raised his hands in defense, "N-no, no."

"Hmm, maybe Cardin?" Even the brute seemed to flush with embarrassment at such a scandalous idea.

"Ha! Gods no. However, your first statement is correct. I am to fight Nikos soon."

"Well, best of luck to you little bro. I saw Pyrrha in the forest the other day, and when she fights… whooo," she gave a short whistle of appreciation before she continued, "She knows how to fight."

"Yes, I am vehemently aware of this fact."

"Aw, no need to get grumpy little bro, just trying to help." She gave his shoulder pauldron a slap before walking off to join the rest of her team.

"Well, I'll let you finish jerking off to yourself. Good luck with your fight."

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

Naruto sheathed his dagger and attached it to the left side of his hip, and the two made to leave the lockers, Pyrrha having already left the lockers a minute or so earlier.

They split off, and Naruto made his way to the arena. He strode on in confidence, drumming his fingers against the ironwood shaft of Ladro di Scudo in a repetitive motion. It felt good in his hands like it was a part of him. When he walked up the stage, he turned left and saw Boudicea trying to get his attention.

"Begin your fight in three,"

Boudicea grinned savagely and motioned for him to crush her, grinding a closed fist into her other hand. Naruto gave her a nod and lowered his falling buffe to cover his mouth. He reached around, drawing his knife and presented the blade vertically, holding its hilt in front of his buffet before pointing it outwards to face his opponent.

"Two,"

Pyrrha recognized the gesture instantly and responded in kind with Miló. It was a challenge from one warrior to another. Naruto resheathed his knife, widening his stance and holding his bill with both hands.

"One. Begin!"

Instead of rushing headlong into one another, the two circled each other like predatory animals. Pyrrha held Miló in its javelin state, and rested it on an inward curve of Akúo̱, ready to block and counter the first attack. Naruto, on the other hand, knew the ball was in his court; that the first strike was his to make.

He regularly changed how he was holding Ladro di Scudo, switching hands, reorienting the angle and direction of the blade, feigning thrusts or swings to get Pyrrha to commit too early, whatever he could to throw her off balance. Regardless of what he did he kept the same pace of movement, and didn't slow down or speed up whenever he feigned a strike. There was a perfectly cogent reason as to why he didn't.

The Spartan's eyes were on his feet.

Pyrrha would only ever make a move when he moved forward to actually fight. She was clever about that and had often feigned interest of another body part to confuse her opponents, staring seemingly deeply at an arm or the chest. But that occasional glance down at her opponent's feet had revealed her tactics. So when he leapt forward and feigned a diagonal strike from his right, she brought her shield up to block.

 _Wrong move._

He kept his momentum, charging forward and rotating his polearm so that the tower-shaped counterweight pointed right at the upper-right quadrant of Akúo̱. Her head temporarily hidden by her shield, she was unable to adequately counter the small but efficient thrust that nudged her guard upwards. It was just enough out of place that when he slammed his pauldron into its edge, she was forced back with it.

But Pyrrha hadn't earned her title as the 'Invincible Girl' for nothing - though Naruto was perhaps the sole exception for those who had faced her. Transforming Miló into its xiphon form, she brought back Akúo̱ and thrust its rim into the blade of Naruto's bill perpendicularly. Expecting the backstroke from the counterweight, she swung wide with her xiphon and parried the metal tip before it could touch her.

She moved to immediately riposte with a forward thrust but was carefully parried by Naruto, who used the midsection of the bill's shaft to push the blade out of the way. She slammed the center of Akúo̱ into his polearm in an attempt to knock him back this time. However, Naruto used her attack to his advantage.

Having switched Ladro di Scudo to his left hand, he used the hook on the bottom-front of the bill's head to curve up and over the shield's edge. Quickly reaching to unsheath his knife, he gripped the bill by the upper end of its shaft and wrenched to the opposite side, exposing Pyrrha's left side. He instantly went to work, thrusting the dagger into the gap in her defenses and stabbing into her aura.

 _The first strike is mine._

When he went to stab again, a dust round from a carbine struck him, his aura flaring in response. Having hopped back and taken a knee, Pyrrha brought up her shield and used it as a rest for her rifle, steadying her aim. She fired again and again, but Naruto was unfazed by the shots as though they were pebbles thrown at the hull of a tank.

Seeing that Naruto was building up for another head-on charge, Pyrrha again brought Miló into its javelin form, thrusting forward to catch him like a pikeman would to oncoming cavalry. He kept moving but shifted left, using the smooth exterior of his mitten-gauntlet to bat away and then roughly grab the offending steel shaft. With her shield on the opposite side and spear being held by Naruto, there wasn't much that she could do besides let go of her weapon and back away before he started to stab with the bill.

An item in each hand, Naruto started to encircle Pyrrha, keeping a firm grip on both his bill and her javelin. He blindly thumbed around the weapon, trying to figure out how to convert it into a gun. Finding the right button, Miló shifted into a carbine and he brought it up to fire at the Spartan. Eight times he fired, and each time they ricocheted off the shield's bronze frame. After the eighth shot, he threw Miló into the air, high and close enough that Pyrrha would be able to see her weapon.

 _Let's see what she goes for._

She would either have to do nothing and fight without a weapon or risk grabbing for Miló and take another hit. As he rushed into her, he did not throw all of his weight into his shoulder like before. This time he brought Ladro di Scudo up to commit its namesake, allowing the hook to wrench back and pull her shield out of her arms. But this time there was no girl behind it to stab at.

Having abandoned her shield, Pyrrha ran forward to catch her rifle, aware that her armored opponent was hot on her heels. Grabbing it, she brought the butt of the gun swinging down and smacked the center of Naruto's polearm. Again, it came down like a hammer before Naruto could do anything and he heard the crack of wood as it made contact. Shifting it into a xiphon, Pyrrha held it with two hands and swung it down onto the same spot, splitting the polearm into two pieces and knocking Naruto back.

 _Oh shit._

Quickly reversing the grip of the lower half, he swung it around like a quarterstaff or cudgel, using the blunt force with deadly efficiency. Preoccupied with one weapon, Pyrrha could hardly handle the other.

Yet somehow in the midst of victory, he missed a swing.

By mere centimeters, the cudgel just grazed her sword, but Pyrrha dove forward at that opportunity and connected her xiphon with his aura. When he brought his arm around to swing the upper half of his bill at her, she just knocked it aside like it was nothing. She slashed Miló from his shoulder to his hip, nearly cutting through his aura.

 _How much has she weakened me throughout this fight?_

Naruto blocked the next strike with the blade of Ladro di Scudo, using the intricate curves of the bill to catch the weapon and took a step forward to try and recapture lost ground. Upon making that step, it granted him no stability, and he suddenly slipped forward like some dullard at a circus.

 _Fuck._

Next thing he knew, he was on the ground with her xiphon positioned above his visor. To him, the buzzer rang out like a death knell.

 _To have a victory so close, so firmly grasped but then lose it with a single move. Gods above, I might need to commit seppuku to atone for this failure._

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Cafeteria; 12:05]**

The cafeteria was bustling with activity as the first and second-year students moved through the lines to get their lunches. Premium quality lunches at that, everything from minestrone soup and lobster bisque to filet mignon and even some favorite breakfast items were offered in the lines, and they were free to boot. Large projectors were placed in the ceiling, playing different channels on the walls of the massive dining hall.

Despite all of that, Naruto sat at his table, resting his elbows and clutching his hands almost in prayer. Hungry as he was, he hadn't even gotten any food and was too deep contemplating his recent failure. Even Cardin who suffered arguably a more humiliating defeat seemed at peace at his lost, skillfully cutting apart some roasted venison.

 _Everything was going according to plan, so what happened? My footwork was exceptional, my polearm play was working, and she fell for my feigns. Where and how did things fuck up?_

As if he read his mind - or just his face - Cardin spoke up, "Still caught up about your fuck up?"

"Are you really one to talk?"

"I got over mine, I don't see why you, in your infinite wisdom and virtue, can't."

"Because something's not right. It's never been right for that matter. Everytime that I've faced Nikos and lost, my mistakes were simple and should have never happened. The slips, missed swings, and the like. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Well, cheer up man. It happens to all of us at some point."

"I suppose so."

"Besides, you fought really well. Admirably even. You were on point and quick to fix your mistakes - except at the end, but wasn't much you could really do at that point. Plus, you're probably starving after such a hard fight like that. Go get yourself something to eat. Try the venison, it's really fucking good." He ended his last statement by taking a bite of his food and enjoying the meat's succulent taste.

The knight nodded before getting up to go grab some food. He had been so fixated on his loss that he had barely noticed the smell. Like a masterful concoction of the most exquisite dishes, the air was laden with the aroma of cooked meats and spices.

From the various lines, he retrieved a large chunk of venison, a baked potato, asparagus, cauliflower, and some chicken thigh, and they smelled terrific to him. It helped him forget about his earlier problems. As Naruto was walking back, the news suddenly caught his attention, along with many other students in the room.

"We're back on CCT News, and I'm your host, Lisa Lavender, your source for information in this dark and dreary world. It seems like things have become even darker as employees at a local shipping yard came to work this morning and discovered the bodies of their coworkers hidden away in shipping containers, and the bodies of members of the White Fang lashed to crosses inside of a warehouse."

At that, Naruto couldn't help but smile at his handiwork.

 _Wretched beasts got what they deserved._

"Police are currently looking into the matter, and according to some witnesses, the deceased White Fang members murdered the dock's employees, before they were murdered by an alleged rogue huntsman."

When Naruto looked around, there were reasonably polarized reactions. Some nodded their heads or smiled, seeing that justice had been met out, notably Cardin. Others thought quite the opposite like Ruby and what looked like Blake. Then there were the few that were indifferent and frankly couldn't care less like Schrödinger or Mercury.

Trying his best to keep his smile from becoming anything more than approval, Naruto sat down once more and began to dig into his food in the most dignified way he could muster.

"Feeling better now?"

"Very much so."

"See! Food can make a lot of problems disappear."

"Yes but not quite like the glory and thrill of a good fight," Boudicea interjected, taking her seat right next to Naruto. "Good job on that fight, by the way, you did well despite your loss."

"Yes, thank you. And congratulations on your victory against my sister. She isn't an easy opponent."

"You got that right. Wasn't expecting your sister to be able to fight without her weapon."

"No one ever does. Shiro has a particular method of fighting, or rather sparring with people that is quite peculiar. You see, she likes to -"

"Sorry to cut you off Naruto, but I think you might want to listen to the people behind you. Heard them mention your name."

After he nodded, he rotated his head to better hear. It was an annoying, unconfident but very educated voice that slithered into his ear. It was unmistakable.

"Arc."

"You did so well in that fight, you uh... really showed how strong you were! I just can't believe you managed to win!"

"A highborn fawning over some commoner? What's next, a White Fang lusting after a human?"

The three of them shared a small chuckle at that, before going back to listen to the conversation.

"It was nothing really. We were just fighting like usual. Naruto's a good opponent too, I only barely managed to win that fight."

"Barely? C'mon Pyrrha, you knocked his pompous ass on the ground like it was nothing!"

Ruby looked over at Jaune with a nervous expression "Jaune you probably shouldn't talk about someone else like that. I know that Naruto can be kind of mean and all, but he shouldn't be bad mouthed like that."

"Why? After what that asshole's done around here and to me, I should honestly call him worse." There was some form of confidence, or perhaps it was anger that flickered in his eyes.

Ruby turned to Tsuki, looking to see if her more forthright friend could de-escalate the situation. "Jaune, be quiet and listen to me. He takes all this nobility stuff seriously, and he'll see what you're saying as fighting words."

Still clutching onto that flame of defiance, he spoke again. "After the beatdown Pyrrha gave him? I doubt it. When he walked out of the arena, he could barely handle the fact that he lost and looked like he was about to cry."

The other table had gone silent while Jaune had grown ever louder in his comments, and the members of Teams CRDL and NMBS had turned to look to Naruto to see his reaction. He was fucking fuming. Instead of an icy blue and emerald, his eyes looked like cerulean and copper-made flame respectively and burned with a passionate fury.

A noble born thinking that he could get away with dishonoring his name? He could not, nay, would not allow his name to be tarnished by some mongrel of the Arc family. Looking to Cardin and Boudicea, he motioned with his index for them to rise. There was work to do.

His eldest sister, the sweet and kind Shiro, stood for him - quite literally at that. She shot up from her seat, smacked her hands on the table and stared down at the male heir of the Arc family. "You shut your mouth! I will not allow you to talk about my brother like that in my… presence." Her pace slowed as she saw the trio standing behind Jaune.

The two siblings made eye contact as Naruto mouthed a silent thank you to her, before snapping his fingers. Cardin and Boudicea were waiting at his flanks before the former tapped Jaune's shoulder.

"What's… up…uh oh." The flame of defiance that had burned in Jaune was snuffed out the moment he saw the two biggest people in the class standing at each of his shoulders. Cardin and Boudicea placed a hand on his left and right shoulders respectively, before pulling him down hard enough to throw his back to the floor.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha reached out but was stopped by Yang. The rest of Team JNPR for that matter was topped by either Weiss or Shiro.

"Don't. Friend or not, Jaune brought this on himself. He should've stopped when we warned him."

As Jaune lay there pathetically on the floor regretting his decision to ignore his friends, Naruto came into his vision.

"Raise him up, I want to look at this dog properly." Grabbed from under his armpits, Jaune was hoisted up and turned to face the other blond knight. Naruto kept his hands behind his back, pressing his thumbs together as he rolled on the balls of his feet to increase his height and establish his control of the situation.

"You think that you can slander my name like that? And to my own kin no less? I will not tolerate your attempt to shame me. At Seventeen hundred hours this evening, you will meet me in the amphitheatre, and we will settle this like men." There was a sense of barely contained rage in his voice, held back by a decade's worth of etiquette training.

As Jaune looked around to the faces of his captors, he saw a cold indifference, not unlike Professor Saltzpyre on Cardin's, and a bloodthirsty grin baring teeth on Boudicea. So lost in confusion was he that he barely understood what Naruto had told him. "W-what?"

"Are you deaf as well? I'm challenging you to a duel you idiot!" Anger started to leak out into his voice before he calmed himself back to his previous state.

Before Jaune could piss him even more, Pyrrha made to intercede. "Wait, Naruto, please don't do this. He was just excited was all, there's no reason to get into a fight like this." She held up her hands trying to calm the situation down.

"No, no it does. Arc has dishonored my name, and by extent, my family and must suffer the consequences. He could beg and grovel at my feet like a castrated eunuch, and I still would not grant him clemency."

"Then let me take his place. Let me fight you instead." Jaune turned from Pyrrha nodding his head vigorously.

Naruto was tempted to punch him in the gut. "Is this the legacy that your grandfather, the Butcher of Artois and the Ravager of Tori-Shima left behind? Some yob who can't even hold his tongue and hides behind others for protection? Pathetic."

Naruto turned to face Pyrrha, "No, you cannot take his place. It was his words that brought him into this, and it will be his blood that gets him out." He motioned for his friends to drop Jaune and they did so abruptly, letting him fall to the floor like a ragdoll.

When Naruto turned around to return to his table, he noticed that just like on the airship to Beacon, everyone was staring at him. He even spotted the second-year girl he met yesterday in the crowd. The silence of that moment was broken - thankfully - when Mercury stepped up onto his seat and shouted out to the rest of the cafeteria. "Come on folks we gotta fight brewing between the heirs of the Arcs and Namikazes here! Place your bets and be at the amphitheatre at five tonight!"

Immediately after, their audience started talking, some even opening their wallets to count their lien. Naruto felt even more excitement rush through his veins as he sat down with the knowledge that a crowd would be watching him strike down his family's hated enemy. Though, probably not for the same reasons as his.

 _I can understand why Boudicea is so obsessed with battle now. That thrill and lust for combat, I can feel it in every fiber of my being!_

Calming himself, he prepared to go back to his meal as his friends sat down once more besides him. Boudicea gave him a very similar smile to his own and patted him on the back to encourage more of his battle lust. Cardin, on the other hand, had nonchalantly returned to picking apart his meal, before asking a question to his friend just like at the beginning of lunch.

"So, think you can actually beat someone this time?"

"I'm sure of it. This will be a massacre." Satisfied, Cardin shrugged and went back to eating.

As Naruto too went to eat, he saw that his fork had been crushed in his anger. While he was working to unbend the utensil, a query crossed his mind.

 _I wonder if they'll be able to mend Arc's body after I split him in twain?_

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Team NMBS' Room; 15:45]**

Naruto paced around his room restlessly. Confident as he was, he was all too excited to take revenge on a hated foe of his clans. The rest of his team was there as well, each doing their own thing.

Mercury had taken to collecting and organizing the betting money he was still receiving for the upcoming fight. Many second and third years were going to be there to watch two greenhorns from powerful huntsman families knock each other's teeth out, and they were all too willing to empty their pockets and place their bets.

From the few times Naruto had glanced at the stashes of lien, he saw a significant portion in favor of Jaune and a moderate amount in support of himself. A bit disappointing, but so be it.

Schrödinger was fixated on him, watching him pace back and forth while laying stomach-down on the bed, kicking her feet back and forth into the air. She was like a small child. A cute, yet occasionally disturbing child.

Boudicea sat on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, seemingly daydreaming - likely about the upcoming fight and how brutal it was to be. Other than that, she didn't really speak besides the few words of encouragement and support when they had gotten back to their dorm.

He stopped pacing, and as he decided to ask Mercury about the disparity in betting money. Before he could though, there was a knock on the door. It seemed to knock everyone out of their stupors.

When Naruto walked up and opened it, there was Coco Adel dressed in her usual expensive outfit and jewelry. Behind her though, was a timid looking rabbit Faunus, who stayed behind Coco as though trying to avert his gaze.

"Sup, fresh meat? You ready for that fight in an hour? Not having any second thoughts on it are you?"

He puffed his chest out at the taunt, "Of course not. I am no coward."

She held her hands up like one would surrender. "Alright, settle down there hotshot. You still gotta win the fight before you can carry that attitude."

"Of course, of course. Regardless, was there something you needed?"

"Oh, well… we," She grabbed the wrist of the rabbit Faunus who had seemingly tried to sneak off and pulled her back into view. "Would like to wish you luck and place our bets on you tonight."

She nervously smiled and waved to him, "Naruto, right? I'm Velvet, it's nice to meet you."

There was an accent to her voice, something that came from the heavily industrialized area of southern Vale if he was correct. "That's correct, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. Please come in."

Velvet went first, going through her purse and pulling out a few hundred lien to hand over to Mercury.

"Hey, Coco?"

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to know why there's such a gap between the betting pools would you?"

"Oh yeah. So the household name, Arc, is fairly well known around these parts. But the name, Namikaze, isn't. We've all heard of the legends of Alberi Arc, but many noble houses and clans outside of Vale's most popularized have been lost to history, only mentioned here and there in a textbook. Plus most of the second and third-years weren't there to witness your challenge at lunch."

When Coco looked behind her after getting no response from the knight, she saw a brooding Naruto, grumbling about the name, Alberi beneath his breath. His eyes suddenly lit up with realization, and he looked to her.

"Is that why you're placing your bet on me? Because you know that the other side is filled to the brim?"

"Hell yes. I'll make a fortune from this."

Coco turned around again after Mercury began snapping his fingers trying to get her attention. "Hey come on, I got a 'legitimate' business to run here."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." She reached into her purse and pulled out several stacks of what looked like about thirty-thousand lien total, each neatly tied together with an elastic band or two.

Mercury was a bit taken aback by this. He had seen a few boys come in with several thousand, even one managed to scrape together just a little under ten thousand, but thirty-thousand like it was no problem? "Fucking hell, how in the goddamn do you have this much money on you?"

Placing her hands on her hips, she gave a cheeky smile - not unlike the blonde in the room nearby - and responded. "Oh, this? Just a little payment from my patron."

This time, her words caught the attention of Mercury and Naruto and asked their questions respectively.

"A little?"

"Patron?"

Coco gestured down to her attire, "Well how do you think I'm paying for all of this? And yes, a patron house from Vale's noble court. Sometimes the noble houses or clans will sponsor a huntsman or huntress, or even rarer one who's still in training."

To the side of her, Velvet shifted a little nervously before tugging on the fashionista's sleeve. "Coco, you know you shouldn't be flaunting your wealth. It's impolite."

"Oh, sorry Velvet. Didn't mean to do that to 'em."

Outside the massive CCT's clock tower struck four P.M. and the great belfries around the campus tolled in unison marking the new hour.

 _Ah, it's almost time._

"So Naruto, you gotta plan for the fight? Gonna give him the good 'ol one-two?" She asked jokingly, even accompanying her question with some punching motions.

"Something like that. This fight is something of a cathartic therapy for me." He clenched his fists as he remembered what his grandfather and mentor had told him. "Those born in the House of Uzumaki do not forget their roots, nor the crimes that laid our once glorious family low. Never forget, and never forgive."

Coco raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by how melodramatic her freshman acquaintance was, but if her patron's husband was anything to go by, most nobles were dramatic like this. "Okay…. Well, I'll see you at the fight, best of luck to you." She and Velvet walked to and out of the doorway before the latter turned around and gave him a small smile.

"Good luck Naruto."

He nodded kindly before they closed the door. As he was turning around, he heard a sudden and rather frantic knock at the door again. Upon opening it, Coco was still there, this time she was as close to the door as she could get without touching it.

"Almost forgot something." She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. It was a small peck, but it was definitely a fascinating experience for Naruto.

 _Holy fuck, what's happening?_

Coco withdrew from the kiss and gave a shameless smile before speaking again. "There's a little luck charm for you. Just to make sure you don't forget that I got money on you."

"Bye!" She waved goodbye and strutted down the hallway doing her best to show off her hips.

 _Am I being seduced to win?_

Naruto was so surprised that his mouth was left agape as he still tried to process what just happened. After closing the door, he turned back around towards the interior of the room and saw that everyone was staring at him.

Schrödinger spoke up, "So, how did you enjoy being seduced by a sophomore?" Expecting for him to deny what had happened or his feelings about it, his words genuinely surprised her - though it certainly didn't deny her fun.

"A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Amphitheatre; 16:55]**

Naruto knew that a crowd had gathered in the Colosseum for his fight tonight. But an audience of this proportions was unexpected. The older generations at Beacon were either extremely bloodthirsty or extremely greedy. And they were setting the mood to the upcoming fight quite nicely. Yelling, chanting, beating their fists on the bleachers to set a tempo, it was all loud enough for him to hear in the locker room.

Within the ten minutes that he had been there fastening his armor and sharpening his weapons, he could hear the noise just outside slowly rising to a cacophony of students eager to watch two freshmen rip each other apart. Naruto had decided at some point - and at the recommendation of Boudicea - that he was going to make his entrance rather dramatic, draw out the clock to the final minute and whatnot. For those that knew him, it was a rare sight indeed to see Naruto be late to any event, especially one that he scheduled. But it would only add to building that tension.

 _Well, one freshman will be ripped apart._

As much as Naruto had been told not to doubt his opponents, he figured now would be the best exception. As he stood near the exit to the locker room, he again took the time to admire his armor.

It was undoubtedly his most magnificent set and in fact the only set of his that his mentor, the Atlesian Master Smith, Grungni Stoneheart, played any direct role in forging. His teacher had even taken to naming the individual pieces of armor, and even built a complimentary weapon and a container on the belt for Naruto to hold his Liber Maleficium so that according to Grungni, Naruto might "Recite the grudges of his foes as he hacked them apart and smashed their bones to powder."

Now that he thought about it, his mentor and grandfather - and great-grandfather for that matter - were very similar people. But here, it was neither the time nor the place to be dwelling on such thoughts. Hefting up his weapon, Naruto secured his helmet into place and moved to leave the lockers, and meet his foe in glorious battle.

The time was sixteen fifty-nine.

The crowd outside was dying down, waiting for the final combatant to enter the arena. The anticipation was palpable.

Pushing both doors open, Naruto was greeted by a roar of approval from the audience. As he became bathed in the ceiling's lights, his steel and gold armor shone gloriously to the rest of the crowd.

To gaze upon the knight in his greatest battle regalia was indeed something to behold.

His face was covered by the visage of a furious Ancestor, the mouthguard forged into a wrathful snarl, and the eyes of his visor were furled into an eternal stare of hatred. Many pieces of segmented metal fell just below the mouthguard to simulate the proud and full beards that once adorned every man of the Uzumaki clan before the Great War. Each segment was painstakingly inscribed with various ancient runes and characters, predating the universal Remnant Common, and told of the great deeds of his family and the many conquests and victories they had achieved in their long and noble history.

His heavy armor clattered around like a palanquin strapped to a mighty Goliath, but without the clumsiness or lack of purpose. Thick steel plates practically glowed atop the layer of chainmail and linen gambeson that cushioned his soft skin. More runes and characters were drawn about onto his armor, detailing even more victories, and perhaps more importantly, the ruinous tragedy that befell his people in the Great War. It described the first-hand accounts of the horrors and atrocities that took place on Tori-Shima, the ancestral home of the Uzumaki, all tied to the name _Arc_. Such was the fury poured into that repeating character that the runes burned and smouldered like angry forge-fire.

The pair of gauntlets were designed similarly to the rest, made up of thick steel plates and lined with gold around their edges. The dorsal sides of the hands leading up to the digits were protected by a single stout piece of steel, and each knuckle was adorned with a small golden pyramid to give its wielder even more prowess in a fist fight. But unlike the rest of the armor, the characters and runes did not speak of the past, but instead of an indisputable future. They spoke of grudges, of reckoning, and of vengeance and each phrase or mark was ended with that smouldering character for the accursed name of _Arc_.

Those hands clasped tightly around the thick four-foot steel shaft of a grim battle axe, its single wicked blade curving down to form a beard and hook nearly a foot-and-a-half in length. A picture was embossed into the sides of the blade depicting a dragon of Grimm, its body composed of thin sheets of darkened steel, its horns jutting out of the axe's shoulders, and the drake's eye made with an embedded ruby gemstone. Along the back haft of the axe were more runes promising death and destruction to the Ancestral foes of the user, and they too burned with fiery zeal. Though upon the sides, both in Remnant Common and in the Uzumaki clan's ancient script, was the name, _Grimnir_ , the very same name as his mentor's eldest - and deceased - brother. At its end was a pommel of pounded steel, shaped like the bludgeoning end of a hammer, and carved deeply into the flat bottom was a single rune that alone declared war - an ancient stamp that was passed down the generations of Uzumaki, and repurposed by Naruto to declare his own wars upon his ancestral foes.

In the other hand lay the _Liber Maleficium_ , wherein its preface, he had assiduously written up every translation of the runes carved into his arms and armor.

Unsurprisingly, his boots had been just as detailed, the sabatons designed to resemble the tops and sides of muscular feet, embedded firmly upon a bottom layer of wrought steel. The interior had been padded comfortably with linen and silk to cushion his movement and did wonders to alleviate the discomfort of his feet during combat. Each footfall was like the thunderous toll of a gong, its sound reverberating throughout the room and into the minds of the audience.

On his back, he bore two Sashimonos, each belonging to his respective families. Over eight decades ago, these standards were once held aloft by the great clans of Uzumaki and Namikaze as they marched into battle, and were now carried by their vengeful heir. On his left was the black outline of the violent whirlpools of the House of Uzumaki, painted upon a field of burgundy. On his right was the white outline of the surging hurricanes of the House of Namikaze, painted upon a field of azure.

Though heavy, years of strength, endurance and aura training had made a set of armor that would have weighed down most, feel like nothing more than some iron plates on chainmail. It also didn't hurt that gravitational dust had been fused into the plates during their forging to lighten the load.

Upon reaching the top of the steps, there lay his enemy. The verminous heir of the Arc family. Even before Naruto had reached the stage, Jaune had been continuously looking back towards the audience, most likely at his team.

 _This coward has the gall to insult me, and still, he turns to his comrades for aid? Today, this unchivalrous cur will know wrath like never before!_

Naruto's eyes lit up with anticipation like a predator cornering his prey, his desire to spill blood and split bones had reached its crescendo. Righteous anger and bloodthirsty eagerness fought to control his thoughts, unsure of whether this fight was to be justice or a savage beating. He soon came to the conclusion that it didn't matter either way, and even the rational part of his consciousness was chanting for victory.

Seeing the lack of focus in his opponent, Naruto slammed the pommel of Grimnir into the floor, the axe's rune of war impacting the ground much like how it was once used to stamp declarations of war in centuries past. Startled, the male heir of the Arc family looked nervously at Naruto, almost unwilling to meet the knight's gaze of fire and steel.

When Naruto spoke, it was gruff and stentorian, befitting of the armor he bore into combat. "For the death of Takauji Uzumaki and the loss of his household and kin, the head of Pierre Arc! For the incineration of the Uzumaki vassal state of Artois, three thousand acres of arable land and fifty million lien! For the plundering of the Great Vaults, the head of Louvel Arc and five hundred million lien! For the…"

His voice carried out throughout the entire room, and all were captivated by it. Many who had vested interest in history recalled many of these events and the occasional mention of the name, Uzumaki as having suffered from many of these crimes. To Naruto, it was a war chant. It woke the drums of his heart and as he read on, he could feel it beating against the ends of his ribcage.

Each sin was like a crack of thunder, and each reparation the following strike of lightning. The crowd just like him was becoming more and more eager to watch this fight. After seeing Naruto make his march and chant upon the stage, no short amount of second and third-years were panicking as they realized their ill placed money, and quickly searched for Mercury to change their bets and keep their cash.

"For the destruction of sacred icons and ancestral shrines at the Holy Temple of Tori-Shima, the crucified body of Alberi Arc! For the rape and torture of over three score women and girls, the castration of Alberi Arc! For the destruction and pillaging of the Uzumaki clan's ancestral island, Tori-Shima, the hands of Alberi Arc! For the butchering of two hundred men and the burglary of the grand Mausoleum of Tori-Shima, the head of Alberi Arc!"

He finished his list by slamming the pommel once more into the ground, before raising the battle axe and pointing at Jaune Arc. "And finally, for the slanderous words and dishonoring of my name, I demand retribution and declare a Grudge upon your name!" Naruto slid his right hand up onto the upper heft of the axe and gripped the lower half with his left hand, preparing for battle.

"This Grudge shall not be fulfilled until one or both of us lie defeated and offered mercy, or dead and granted justice."

Naruto shook his head around and scraped his feet against the floor like a bull preparing for the charge. "Now then, take up your blade and face me in glorious combat!"

* * *

 **Gods be praised, this took too long. As proud of this chapter as I am, I spent for too much time trying to get it out. I had originally started working on this in August and planned to get it out by October. Ended up taking an additional three months. But oh well, that's fate.**

 **Also, I've left a number of memes (your hints are Palpatine and Dynamite) and references hidden throughout the chapter. Some are meant to be humorous, others will be integral to the story (i.e. the metric fuck load of Warhammer Fantasy that I've been referencing). For those of you who don't know or haven't checked out Warhammer, I highly recommend it, especially the Black Library novels or the game, Total War Warhammer.**

 **I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially the fight scenes and the ending where I decided to channel my love of all things Dwarf. I don't think I've ever quite had this much fun writing as I did with this chapter. And I have great things planned for the future (so long as school doesn't murder me harder and faster than God decided to wipe out all the celebrities with an S at the beginning of their name last year.**

 **Anyways, enough rambling. Happy New Years and Merry belated Christmas everyone! Don't forget to leave a review and all the usual shit.**

 **I'd also like to thank all the folks who helped make this possible, specifically my beta, Milennial, and my writing buddies, Savage Theron, Alvor the Warhawk, and Orpheus Kidwell. I do recommend you go check out their writing if that interests you. Savage Theron has his own Warhammer Fantasy/RWBY crossover going on with an Estalian Diestro who comes into RWBY by way of Thaggoraki magic. Orpheus Kidwell has a number of stories (all include Naruto in some way, shape or form). Milennial has a short Naruto story that he is still (presumably working on). And Alvor has a extensively well written Naruto/Star Wars crossover that goes into hyper amounts of detail that likely exceed mine. Anyways, check them out if you are so inclined, and have a wonderful day.  
**


	6. Honor

**Shadow of War**

 **Chapter VI: Honor**

 **[Beacon Academy, Team JNPR Dorm; 14:50]**

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap…"

Jaune paced nervously back and forth in his room, still trying to wrap his head around what just happened and what was going to come. His teammates were scattered about the area, leaning on walls, or fidgeting on their beds as they tried to come up with a plan, or at the very least, placate their leader's anxiety.

Jaune raked his hands through his blond hair, "You don't think he's just messing around right? Like he can't be serious about fighting me, can he?"

His partner took a step forward and spoke up. "Jaune, in the two years that I've known Naruto he's never been one to make bluffs like that. When Naruto was insulted by one of the older students in Sanctum, he used our sparring class as a way to challenge him to a duel. It wasn't pretty. If the professor hadn't separated them, the boy would have been hospitalized."

"And so Naruto just got away with it?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "Not entirely. He would always be punished, but he fought like that infrequently enough to avoid any permanent action. And that boy was from a minor merchant family, who had no real history with Naruto's family. You on the other hand..."

Jaune's hands gripped tightly around the back of his scalp, tugging at his short hair in frustration as he went over by the window. The older students had begun to gather outside the freshmen dorms, their wallets or bundles of lien on hand to place bets. "I don't understand why he hates me though! What have I ever done to him? I don't even know why he hates my family!"

As the young Arc flung himself onto the bed, Ren sat up and spoke, breaking the silence. "Maybe we could ask his sisters for advice?"

"Tsuki and Shiro? I think they hate me too, and besides, what would I even ask them?"

Nora practically shot up out of her place next to Ren, like the sugar from lunch was still pumping through her veins. "We could find out how to best break his legs!"

"Or, we could find a way to solve this peacefully. You know, without any actual violence?" Pyrrha put forward. Ren nodded his head in agreement before they all looked at Jaune for confirmation.

Jaune sucked in a deep breath of air, holding it for several seconds before letting it all out. He needed to steel himself for the upcoming mental lashing from the sisters. "Alright, let's do it."

As Team JNPR all got up and left their dorm, the first thing they saw was the orderly line of second and third-year students, leading out of Team NMBS room where Mercury stood collecting money for the bets. One of them saw Jaune and called out, "Hey it's the moneymaker!"

They began to give him pats on the back and spoke encouragingly, knowing that his confidence and ability to fight would make the difference between them losing or gaining lien after tonight's duel.

Pyrrha nudged him forward to Team SETH's room further down the hall, parallel to Mercury's post. As Jaune knocked on the door, Mercury glanced over at them, making eye contact with Jaune. There was something akin to sympathy in his eyes, that same sort of remorse that a farmhand looked at an animal with, knowing that it was about to go to the slaughterhouse.

Unnerved, he turned back around, facing the white oaken door. He heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and Emerald was there to greet them. "Oh hey, guys. Need something?"

"We're… uh, I'm here to talk to Shiro and Tsuki."

"You sure? They're not really in the best mood right now."

"Please. It's important."

Emerald nodded before she stepped aside and motioned for them to enter.

Of the four members of Team SETH, only two were there. Shiro was laying down on her bed, her back to the window as she read her book. When the eldest of the Namikaze siblings looked up and noticed Team JNPR, her usually kind face began to curl into a small scowl. With one hand, she closed her book, producing a loud smack that seemed to make Jaune even more nervous.

"Hey, Shiro…"

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, before breathing out through the mouth, as though trying to maintain her calm. "What?"

"How are you doing?"

"Well let's see. I'm frustrated that despite my attempts to ease the situation between you and Naruto - at the behest of Pyrrha no less - you two still ended up in this situation. I'm annoyed that you decided to come into my room while I try to relax and read. With that in mind, I'm particularly intrigued as to why you think you can approach me after insulting my brother and ignoring my advice to stop before things got violent. So overall, not too well."

Too ashamed to look her in the eyes, Jaune kept staring down at the floor, trying to think of what to say. "I'm sorry…"

"Are you? Or did you come here trying to find a way out of the mess that you started?"

Before he could answer, the door swung wide open as Tsuki and Ruby entered the room. "And so I said…" Tsuki's smile quickly became a frown and Ruby looked at her friends with some level of worry. "What are you doing here?"

The vitriol in her voice was palpable, it was like acid had been thrown onto Jaune's face. "I came to apologize."

"A bit late for that isn't it?" Tsuki scoffed.

"C'mon guys. Let's all calm down here. We're all friends aren't we?" Ruby adopted the voice of reason, using her innocence to help pacify the room. Even the somewhat headstrong Tsuki felt a little more relaxed when she spoke.

"I suppose so."

"I guess."

Jaune let out a sigh of relief, glad that progress here was still a possibility.

"Alright then, Jaune, explain to us why you thought it was necessary to bad mouth our brother?"

At that, he became sheepish and nervously wrung his hands together like he was cold. "I don't know, I didn't think that what I said mattered."

"And what made you think that?"

"Well he did the same thing, and nothing happened to him. I thought..."

"I'm going to stop you right there. Two things. First, Pyrrha and I both talked, scolded, and asked for him not to do it again. He was punished, just not publicly. Second, is that really your excuse?"

Jaune's eyes remained at his feet until a delicate hand gripped his shoulder.

"Jaune, please. We're your team, we want to support you and help you; however we can, but if you withhold information like this, we can't." Pyrrha's voice was soothing to him, it reminded him of Saphron.

 _Gods I wish you were here, Saphron. You'd know just what to say._

He turned and looked over to the rest of his team who, despite his self-inflicted blunder, still supported him. People who he had barely known for more than a day at that.

 _No. Léonne's always telling me I need to deal with my problems head-on. I don't need Saphron. This is my problem. And Pyrrha's right, they at least deserve the truth._

Jaune nodded solemnly, before speaking. "All my life, I've lived constantly surrounded by my family. I rarely went outside, never attended any academies, didn't really try to make any other friends. So it was, for the most part, just my seven sisters and I. As far back as I can remember, two of my older sisters told me to never be direct with my disinterest or dislike of someone, that it was better to 'talk behind their backs than to their faces.'" He made a pair of air quotes to finalize that statement.

"But I kinda understand now that that doesn't exactly hold up anywhere else, especially with people I'm not familiar with."

Shiro pinched the bridge of her nose and stood up out of bed. She released a heavy sigh before giving her reply. "Fine, Jaune. Just don't make that mistake again. I think you're getting enough of a punishment as it is with the fight in… two hours."

He looked over to her younger sister, who nodded. "What she said."

"Oh and speaking of the fight, is there uh, any way you can get me out of it?"

"Excuse me?"

"I think what Jaune meant to say, was if there was any way to calm Naruto down and call off the fight?" Ren intervened, knowing that his leader's lack of caution could take away the forgiveness he just earned.

The two sisters shared a look with one another, before turning back to Team JNPR. "To put it bluntly, no."

"Come on, there has to be some way for me to get his forgiveness, or at least for him to end the fight, right?"

"No way in hell."

"Yeah, no. That's not going to happen, nor will it ever happen. Naruto isn't someone who lets go of his grudges until they're settled. Usually in the most dramatic and violent way possible: single combat."

"Pyrrha probably knows about this, but Naruto keeps a book with him, one that his mentor told him to always use. He keeps a list of people in there that he holds a grudge against, as well as the 'payment' he wants in return. Like I said earlier, he takes all this stuff very seriously."

The spartan nodded. "Yes, I recall him writing in that ledger quite frequently."

"Mhm. But anyways, Jaune. There's no real way you can get out of this fight. Though to be frank, I think it'd be possible for anyone else," Tsuki pointed one of her fingers at Jaune, "but you."

He stood there for a moment, thinking. Then it came to him. "It's because my name isn't it?"

"Yeah, no shit."

"Tsuki! There's no need to be so crass. But yes, Jaune. To Naruto, that name carries a lot of weight, and not in a good way."

"What do you mean?"

She hesitantly bit her lower lip, pulling it up by the front of her teeth. "I really don't think it's my place to talk about that. Perhaps I've already told more than I should."

Knowing that Jaune wouldn't press the advance, stepped in and spoke up for him. "Please, Shiro. If we can learn why Naruto hates Jaune and his family so much, maybe there's a way we can end this bad blood."

For once, Jaune looked up to meet Shiro's gaze - just barely. "Please. It would mean a lot if we could stop all of this at some point."

Shiro tapped her foot thoughtfully on the ground, debating between her brother's privacy, or his mental wellbeing. A few seconds later, she reached her decision.

"Like you, his issues stem from his familial influences."

"But how come you guys aren't like that then?"

"Tsuki and I lived with our parents for the most part."

"So Naruto wasn't with you guys?"

Tsuki nodded her head, "Pretty much."

"Why? I-if you don't mind me asking?"

"Naruto's godfather was murdered when he was eight, and after that, our grandfather came to our estate and told our parents that he wanted to take care of him. Raise him with grandmother in Mistral."

"And why didn't he take you guys?"

The two sisters shared a look with one another before the eldest responded. "We think it's because he's the only male heir of our clan, and technically the only one whose name will be passed on."

The youngest sibling stepped forward and interjected, "That and he was the weakest of us."

"Yes, _back then_."

"Yeah, Naruto was a real bookworm back when we were kids. Like, he could not fit the definition of a nerd any better than back then."

Nora grinned and spoke up, "Pale skin, scrawny, and wore glasses?" Tsuki flashed her own grin and nodded vigorously.

The two sisters began to zone out as fonder memories passed through their minds. Of teasing their brother, learning under their parents, making fortresses out of pillows - with some help of the estate guards. Back to a simpler time.

"But yes, grandfather took Naruto because he was afraid that Naruto wasn't in the right shape to defend himself and carry on the family legacy. So, after days of them arguing, mother and father finally agreed. So, our brother left with him, and as the years went on, became more and more like our grandparents. An old soul I think is what our mother calls him."

"He absorbed everything they taught him."

"And I'm going to guess that includes his hatred of my family?"

"Yup."

"So there's no possibility of resolving his hatred?"

"Our grandfather would sooner crucify an Arc than speak to one, I don't see why Naruto would be any different."

"But perhaps Naruto is, in fact, more reasonable, no? I mean he did agree to leave Jaune alone because of you didn't he?" Ren asked, searching for the possibility of resolution.

"Before, yes. But that possibility was thrown out the window a few hours ago when Jaune basically spit in his face."

"Jaune, to be quite frank, the first thing you can do to help the situation is to take your lumps tonight. And don't try to pussy your way out or he's going to be even angrier."

"But wouldn't me not being there be a win-win for both of us? He would win since it would count as a victory if I'm not there and I would win because I'm not getting disfigured?"

Tsuki shook her head in an almost condescending manner, "Jaune. He wants to personally fuck _you_ up _._ "

"Naruto intends to turn you into red paste. Your beating would only get worse if you tried to skip out."

At this point, Jaune was pulling on the back of his hair. Any harder and there would be tufts of blond hair on the floor. "Oh gods, I'm absolutely fucked…"

He could still hear the upperclassmen outside of Team SETH's dorm chatting away, all of them undoubtedly eager to see two freshmen butt horns.

There was a quick knock at the door before Emerald swiftly opened it, and in came Mercury and Schrödinger, giggling like schoolgirls amongst themselves. "Vat's up, Jaune? Ready for zhat fight?"

He didn't even attempt to verbally respond and instead gave an anxious moan.

It was Mercury spoke up this time, "We'll take that as a yes. We just came here to say good luck and all the usual stuff. Oh, and tell you how much dough is rolling in on your name."

"What?"

"Yeah, a good quarter-mil of lien on you winning the fight. Damn, folks are pretty confident in you winning this fight, huh? Can you just imagine how disappointed they'd be if you lost?"

"Ja, zhey vould throw a fit! It'd be a vitch hunt!"

"Anyways, we'll get out of your hair for now. Have fun!" Mercury cruelly taunted as he and the cat Faunus withdrew from the room. As they were leaving, Jaune peered from this dorm and into that of Team NMBS. What glared back made him freeze up more than the coldest regions of Solitas.

There on the centermost bed sat Naruto, who polished what looked like an axe as he stared back at Jaune, his eyes filled with anticipation and malice. Jaune felt his resolve soften into sludge as those jeweled eyes bore through him like lances. Even when the door finally closed, those piercing eyes of sapphire and emerald were fixed into his vision.

Suddenly, the thought of crucifixion that pervaded his mind vanished. A firm hand grabbed onto his shoulder, and when he turned to look, it was none other than Pyrrha Nikos. His partner and teammate.

"Jaune, we're here for you."

Nora jumped up enthusiastically and gave a mock salute. "That's right! We'll always have your back, Captain!"

Ren spoke next, "Indeed. Though we've only met, we're still a team. And we will stick together, Jaune."

Jaune felt himself regaining his bearings. He needed to hear that from someone, from anyone. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate your help. All of you. Maybe, just maybe there's a chance I can win this."

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Amphitheatre; 16:59]**

 _There's no chance I can win this._

The words that Pyrrha parted onto Jaune had all but vacated his memory. The cacophony of the steadily growing audience had battered his nerves and left him anxious about his future reputation. When he saw his opponent step out of the locker rooms, whatever scraps of determination had been instilled by Pyrrha's reassurance were soundly crushed beneath the stomp of Naruto's boots.

Jaune had been expecting to see the other knight dressed in a standard set of Valian or high Mantilian armor from the days of old, but what Naruto brought to bear was utterly alien. He was completely encased in a carapace of gold and steel, like some kind of aristocratic beetle. The only human thing he could see were those damned eyes, looking right back to meet his. Plates of metal dangled from the bottom of his helmet much like a beard, and the entire set of armor was covered in some sort of markings that Jaune couldn't make out.

Each step that Naruto took beat against Jaune's heart, and he could feel his anxiety returning to him.

 _By the Gods, he's going to slaughter me. No! I must remember what Pyrrha said, keep calm and pay attention._

His thoughts were shattered in an instant as Naruto slammed the pommel of his axe into the ground and spoke gruffly beneath his armor. Even under the layers of metal, he could hear Naruto's somewhat posh accent.

"For the death of Takauji Uzumaki and the loss of his household and kin, the head of Pierre Arc!"

 _Just keep calm and focus on the fight. Pyrrha said I should observe my study Naruto before the match begins._

The opposing knight spoke again, "For the incineration of the Uzumaki vassal state of Artois, three thousand acres of arable land and fifty million lien!"

 _Those plates look really heavy, heavier than usual. Naruto's got to be weighed down by all of it. Which means, speed will be my ticket to surviving this._

"For the destruction of sacred icons and ancestral shrines at the Holy Temple of Tori-Shima, the crucified body of Alberi Arc!"

 _I can barely see any gaps in the armor, his neck is covered in that beard… plates… guard, thingy? Whatever, I can't get past it. But maybe I can hit up into it?_

"For the rape and torture of over three score women and girls, the castration of Alberi Arc!"

 _Looks like there's a small chink his armor right behind the knees and at his elbows. Alright, let's do this!_

Salvaging some courage after his analysis, Jaune spoke up, "Are you going to just stand there and talk or are we going to fight?"

But his voice was drowned out by the growing frenzy of the crowd and the accusations of Naruto. Even if the latter heard him, he was completely unfazed and uncaring as he continued to recite his family's litany of grudges.

Or not.

"For the destruction and pillaging of the Uzumaki clan's ancestral island, Tori-Shima, the hands of Alberi Arc! For the butchering of two hundred men and the burglary of the grand Mausoleum of Tori-Shima, the head of Alberi Arc!"

"And finally, for the slanderous words and dishonoring of my name, I demand retribution and declare a Grudge upon your name! This Grudge shall not be fulfilled until one or both of us lie defeated and offered mercy, or dead and granted justice. Now then, take up your blade and face me in glorious combat!"

Thus, their fight started as Naruto charged forward like a steel ox, his axe drawn back for a swing into an unarmored side. Jaune brought his shield up, displaying the gold livery of the House of Arc for his opponent to see, and much like a matador's cloak, Naruto only saw red.

Jaune swung his shield to his left, catching the axe before it could tear into his aura, but was knocked down when the rest of his opponent slammed into him like a truck. He felt his sword fly free from his hand and felt his body smack into the cold floor.

When Jaune looked up, he saw his opponent glaring down at him, his greataxe ready to clean him down the center. Rolling out of the way, Jaune grabbed his sword and quickly stood back up, prepared to face his opponent. Instantly, Naruto was upon him swinging his axe left and right into Jaune's shield and aura.

He poked Crocea Mors through, trying to hit something and buy a little time to recuperate and mount a counterattack, but the blade was knocked away by hand or haft every time.

 _By Kaine, is there no way to end this?_

Fate seemed to answer his question as one of Naruto's cleaves slid off the rim of Jaune's shield, displacing the Namikaze. Jaune took the opportunity to back up and try and formulate a plan.

"Why do you run, Arc?" Even beneath the tons of plate, he could all but see the cruel veneer that spread on Naruto's face. He lumbered forward, letting the clang of metal wash over the arena and unnerve his foe.

Jaune opted not to speak and tried his best to concentrate on his enemy's movements. He could see that Naruto's slow pace was purposeful, meant to unsettle him rather than illustrate the substantial weight of the armor. Despite that, Jaune couldn't help but focus in on the sound of the knight's steps, or the clatter of metal plates.

"Come now, where's all that gusto you had at lunch? Shouldn't you have 'knocked my pompous ass on the ground' by now?"

As Jaune brought up his shield once more, he caught a glimpse of someone in the crowd behind Naruto. Even with the lights dimmed, he could still see those crimson locks and warm jade eyes.

When Pyrrha gave him a smile and an encouraging nod, Jaune felt his wits return. His heart slowed to a resting state, and his thoughts became coherent once more. There was no doubt in his mind as he tightly gripped Crocea Mors.

Jaune raised his sword and solemnly declared to his opponent, "It ends now." He rushed forward, readying his sword for his first real attack.

"Yes, finally! There's that flame of defiance that I had hoped to snuff out!"

Naruto cared little for the Jaune's incoming attack, and instead prepared one of his own. He pulled the business end of his axe over his shoulder, ready to jab out with the pommel of his weapon and blunt the impetus of the other knight. He'd follow up immediately with a downward stroke, and hopefully, cleave him in twain.

When the time came, and he lashed out with the shaft of his axe like a cobra striking out at its prey, something was amiss. Again, he found his attack off target as it grazed the side of Jaune's head and barely brought up his aura. Jaune's strike on the other hand continued to carry the aforementioned impetus and felt like a hammer being slammed onto the face of an anvil.

It hurt, to say the least.

Aura or not, that attack felt more oppressive and more impactful than it should have been. Having found new success, Jaune continued his assault on the knight, reeling his sword back and bringing it down into the gap between Naruto's helm and pauldron.

A violet aura flared up to shield its user, but Naruto could still feel the impact of the strike. Again, it was like a hammer being swung into him, but the necessary strength of such an attack was betrayed by Jaune Arc's physical build. He was average all around, with some muscle here and there, but nothing of note.

Naruto managed to react to the following attacks, using the edge of his axe to parry the thrust or the haft to catch a swing. But he could still feel something was wrong, the feeling in his gut and the back of his mind screamed that there was deception at work here. Those warnings did not save him when Jaune successfully fixed his sword between the beard and shoulder of the axe and kept it from being swung.

Bolstered by his success, he swung his elbow into Naruto's face and knocked him back.

 _This is my chance!_

When Jaune was much younger, he spent many months watching his sisters train in swordplay under the supervision of their grandfather. He tried his best to study and learn the ways of the blade, and there was always one technique that caught his eye. It was so intriguing that he found himself able to replicate the attack better than any other. It was simple yet efficient.

As Jaune threw his sword into the air and seized it by the blade, his opponent recognized the technique.

"Mordhau…"

Naruto immediately moved to counter. He drew his axe up into the air ready to bring it down and cut off the offending arm. Before he could, he felt himself freeze up. And just as suddenly, the murder stroke came, and the hilt of Crocea Mors swung into the bottom of his Ancestor's wrathful visage.

He felt his helmet fly off his head and fell to the ground much like Jaune had before.

Jaune's eyes widened as this terrifying foe fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The violet field around Naruto had shattered like a pane of glass, and he was utterly defenseless. Knocked over on his side, and his back left thoroughly exposed.

 _I did it._

It took him a minute to realize what had happened. Eventually, he made his thoughts known to verbally. "I did it… I did it!" Jaune could hear the crowd around him cheering, no doubt his upperclassmen were glad that they weren't going to lose their money.

Another few minutes went by as Jaune sucked in all the attention. He mused to himself as he looked around and wallowed in the rapturous encore.

 _If only Léonne was here to see this, then I could shove it in her face and show her just how weak I really am!_

"Hey, Jaune!"

Snapping back into reality, he turned and saw Nora poking out of the crowd.

"Break his legs!"

A single phrase became the chant of the crowd, as many began to roar the same three words.

" _Break his legs! Break his legs! Break his legs!"_

Jaune nodded and turned around, ready to deliver a crippling blow to Naruto. Both to his pride and his body.

"This is what you get for underestimating me!"

* * *

 _Holy fuck, what the bloody fuck just happened?_

As Naruto lay on the ground, as confused as a newborn, he attempted to roll over and pick himself up. He was just as blind as one too as his glasses had been knocked clean from his face, and hopefully were still intact. His heart pounded like Tori-Shima's monolithic ō-daiko drum and became a rapid thrum that was loud enough to encapsulate his hearing. He panted heavily and felt his body ache like he had gone fought a Beringel in fisticuffs.

 _Did Kaine himself possess this wretch or am I just getting weaker? It's almost exactly like my fight with..._

At that moment Naruto had a sudden realization, as though it were a brick that struck him square in the head.

 _Pyrrha._

He looked up and over into the crowd of people, his tired eyes searching for his subject of interest. When he caught sight of her, she looked winded, like she had been the one in the ring and not Jaune. Unless she had been getting extremely excited over the fight - which he doubted, Pyrrha had always been a remarkably collected individual - she had been doing something.

 _But what? What could she be doing to interfere, if at all?_

 _ **Cheating perhaps?**_

 _It's possible, but how?_

 _Who knows? It could be witchcraft or sorcery._

 _Improbable._

 _ **Perhaps...**_

 _Then what could it be?_

 _ **Anything really. But for now, there are more important matters to attend to.**_

Naruto jolted back into the present and licked his cracking lips. The throb of his heart had died down a bit, at least enough that he could hear the roar of the crowd surrounding them. They were shouting in unison a single phrase, "Break his legs!"

He heard footsteps behind him, and hastily searched for his weapon. From the blurred colors, he could tell his axe was too far to reach, so he settled for the next best thing.

"This is what you get for underestimating me!" When Naruto heard the shout, he jumped up and swung his makeshift weapon into his opponent before Jaune could so much as touch him.

In his haste, Naruto had grabbed the beard of his helm and used it as a flail. While no doubt unorthodox, it was no less effective. The swing slammed into Jaune's head like the bolt of a crossbow, knocking the wind right out of him.

 _ **Thrash this cur till he bleeds!**_

Fueled by a dangerous combination of rage and adrenaline, Naruto's swings devolved into a vicious flurry of strikes that hammered into Jaune's flanks until a white field of energy burst around him.

 _ **Kill him!**_

Naruto let go of the helmet and decided to take a more hands-on approach to the situation. Clenching his fists, he thrust low and landed a sucker punch right into his opponent's unarmored gut. The small metal mounds on each of his knuckles certainly didn't help as his fist dug deep into his solar plexus.

He followed by slamming the side of his fist into Jaune's unprotected face, again, knocking him off balance. Each punch was like a cinder block that pummeled Jaune with wild abandon. Nothing was going to stop him from bloodying this mongrel.

The few times his foe struck out at him with a sword and shield, the attacks were stopped by thick plates. Eager to make this as one-sided as possible, Naruto grabbed Jaune's blade the next time he thrust out, pried it from his hands and threw it to the ground. The same strategy was applied to his shield.

Eventually, Naruto clenched his hands together and swung up into Jaune's head in an uppercut, and sent him down and sprawled out on the floor. He immediately pounced on him, pressing the bulk of his weight down onto the rib cage as he continued to beat and batter.

"What was that about breaking my legs, Arc? Or perhaps the crowd was talking to me. Yes, maybe I should just snap yours like twigs!"

Before he could go any further, Naruto felt himself wrenched upwards by an invisible force. He had been so enthralled by blood greed that he failed to notice the professors that rushed to the scene.

"Naruto, stop this at once! You've done enough to him already. This ends now."

Amethyst energy surrounded the offending knight and pulled him closer towards Glynda Goodwitch. In his haze, Naruto saw an incredibly quick blur of white and green speed over to his fallen opponent. In his periphery, he saw another figure, much slower and plumper, reach down to grab something and seemed to already have his axe in its possession.

Separated from his target, Naruto finally relaxed and slouched down as the adrenaline rush wore off and fatigue began to weigh heavy on his weary frame, and he was dragged off likely to face his punishment.

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Ozpin's Office; 18:05]**

As Ozpin gazed solemnly out of the enormous glass pane of his tower, everything from the dimming lights of his academy to the glittering beacons of the capital city could be seen. If one searched hard enough, they could look beyond the mountains surrounding Vale and gaze upon the shining lights of the many port cities and trade hubs on Vale's coastline.

Suddenly, there was a chime at the entrance of the elevator as its doors opened, and the three people occupying it stepped out. Though his back was turned to his guests, he could clearly see each of them via their reflections.

At the fore of the trio was Glynda, her stern expression was somehow even more dour than usual. He could see the strain she was putting on her riding crop as she nearly snapped it in half.

Behind her was the youngest heir of the Houses of Uzumaki and Namikaze, Naruto. Though his chest was puffed up beneath his armor, his indomitable pride was betrayed by the haggard state of his body.

Pulling up the rear was Port, a bombastic and plump professor who held a large axe in one hand, kept his blunderbuss in his elbow, and twirled his well-groomed mustache in the other.

"Sit down, young man and Headmaster Ozpin will have a word with you," Glynda ordered as she walked past the centerpiece desk and to her old friend's side.

The oldest man in the room - by at least a few centuries - gently turned around to face the youngest. "Good evening, Mister Naruto, please take a seat. Care for some coffee, or tea perhaps?"

"I am fine, thank you."

"Are you sure?" Ozpin asked politely as he took a seat behind his desk. "You seem like the kind of person to enjoy tea, especially after a rough fight like that."

As Naruto nestled himself into the cushioned chair, he relented. "Very well, tea it is."

"Excellent. Glynda, would you mind preparing some for us?"

Her eyebrows furrowed at the thought of being put to such a menial task, but she said nothing as she marched over to the other side of the office.

"Now that the formalities are complete, shall we discuss why you're here in my office?"

"I would presume it is because of my savaging of Jaune Arc?"

Ozpin reclined a little further back in his chair at that statement, as his lips curled and he responded. "I am not sure if 'savaging' is the way I'd explain it. But sure, we'll go with that. After you broke his aura, you continued to pummel the boy until he was nearly unconscious."

"Am I to expect expulsion for this?" Glynda returned carrying a platter, where two cups of tea sat parallel to one another, along with several cubes of sugar and a glass of cream.

Naruto and Ozpin gave a silent thanks to the teacher as she walked over to the latter's right.

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But under normal circumstances, staff would have intervened during lunch, long before you two clashed in the arena. No, you'll be let off with a warning of sorts."

"Is there any particular reason why sir?"

"Well Naruto, you're a talented young student who has rightfully earned his way to the top of the chain to get here. And the Kingdom of Vale is always in need of strong and resourceful Huntsmen to defend its borders from Grimm incursions. If I were to expel you, neither of us would really benefit, now would we?"

Naruto found himself nodding to Ozpin's words, "Yes, I suppose that makes sense. So, what will it be? Flogging? Flagellation? Central Mistralian water torture?" He lowered his head in resignation and was fully prepared to accept whatever punishment came to him.

The three teachers burst out laughing at the over-the-top nature of the student in question. While Port practically exploded in a bout of thundering laughter, Ozpin quietly chuckled in the same monotone but friendly voice he always held. Even Glynda tried to hide the giggle aimed at her nephew's comment.

"No, no, nothing so barbaric. No, instead we'd like for you to assist Professor Port every evening for the next few months in collecting live Grimm specimens. You'll be accompanying him to the forest where you two will begin hunting."

Recognizing that their time had come to an end, Naruto stood up, his body rigid beneath the thick plates, and bowed low at the waist. "I understand. Is that all, Headmaster?"

"Yes, thank you for your time. I trust we won't have this incident again?"

"Yes, Headmaster!" Naruto dipped forward slightly before bringing himself back up and turning back around to face the elevator entrance.

He said nothing as he walked into the doors with Port, now rearmed with his battle axe and prepared to fulfill his punishment. As the doors slid shut, Ozpin couldn't help but laugh to himself at the eccentricities of this new batch of students.

"It never seems to get boring around here, does it, Glynda?"

She huffed as she adjusted her glasses and turned to meet Ozpin's gaze. "For you, maybe. I'm not sure being relegated to tea brewer is all that entertaining."

"My dearest apologies, Glynda. On another note, I still can't quite believe that was Minato's son."

"I presume you're referring to his rather martial behavior?"

"Indeed. For someone his age, it's quite rare wouldn't you say? Unless you're from Atlas that is."

"Minato only raised him for half of his life, our parents-in-law raised him for the other half."

"And you're suggesting that they're the source of his militarism?"

"Ozpin. His grandfather was a former Huntsman and is a very nationalistic Mistralian, and his grandmother was a _Polkovnyk_ (Colonel) of the Atlesian army and also a hardcore nationalist."

The Headmaster jokingly tapped his chin and looked up as though mired in thought. "Hmm, I believe I'm starting to pick up on a pattern here. Though I feel your coldness to his grandparents is for a different reason, no?"

Glynda sighed, exasperated by the antics of her colleague and former teacher. "They're callous asses, alright?"

"That's what I thought. Anyways, shall we have Jaune come in so we can assign his punishment too?"

"Very well then." She pressed some of the holographic keys on her scroll before they heard the elevator start to come into motion.

Just as before, the final light on the scale lit up, and the doors opened up to show a very nervous looking Jaune Arc, and a somewhat apathetic looking Professor Oobleck.

"Mister Arc, please take a seat," Glynda spoke coldly as she glared down at the freshman. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Is it because of the fight, ma'am? Please, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break the rules, I was just trying to defend myself!"

"Mister Arc, duels like that are permitted on campus. But, a duel is simply that, a duel. Not a cage match where two opponents try to kill or maim one another. However, that is only half of the reason why you're here."

"I'm sorry, what? Besides the fight, there's nothing else that I've done wrong!" Jaune was adamant in his defense, gripping the arms of his chair tightly till his knuckles became white.

"Is that so?" Glynda replied smoothly as she tossed down a folder of printed documents. "Then please explain why you sending forged documents to Beacon Academy is not a punishable offense."

Jaune's eyes widened like saucers, and he slumped back into his seat. "O-oh Gods, I didn't think anyone would find about it. At least not so soon…" His hands raked into his head as he dragged them through his hair.

"Young man, this is the most prestigious school in the four kingdoms. Did you really think that some forged papers would get past security?"

He chose to avoid responding to her question and worked to change the subject. "So, what happens now, that I've been caught?"

Glynda stepped forward to answer, but Ozpin quickly cut her off. "Normally you'd be expelled, but after the administrative staff put it to a vote, we've decided to allow you to stay."

While Jaune was wholly captivated by Ozpin, his eyes lighting up in relief, Glynda and Oobleck shared a look of uncertainty at the Headmaster's choice of words.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Just please, I'll do anything as long as my family never finds out."

"Yes, which is why in addition to helping Professors Oobleck grade papers every evening, you will also be spending your weekends taking remedial classes and learning the necessary skills to be a part of Beacon. Mister Arc, I suggest you do not waste this second chance, for it will not come a third time."

"What will happen if something like this happens again?"

Ozpin gave a mirthful smile as he responded, "Well, you can't quite forge any more documents now can you?"

Glynda took the opportunity to retake control of the conversation and answered his question. "If you are caught for any serious offense against the school or staff, you'll not only be expelled and sent home directly to your family, but you'll be blacklisted from every Huntsmen Academy on Remnant."

"Jaune, we expect great things from an Arc, and you are no different. Try not to disappoint or let this happen again, alright?" Always the one to temper the cold fury of Professor Goodwitch, Ozpin spoke reassuringly to his student.

The young man gulped nervously before he decided how to reply. "R-right. I won't let you down, sir."

"Excellent, now then. You're dismissed. Please follow Professor Oobleck so he may show you to your station in his office."

Though Jaune's cerulean eyes were down at his feet in shame, there was an unmistakable look of relief in them as he walked behind Oobleck to the elevator. As the doors slid shut, Glynda once again looked over to Ozpin before speaking.

"I still cannot believe that you're not punishing him any harsher. Not even a call or message to his parents about this?"

"There's no need to."

"But by allowing him to get away with this, you're only inviting more trouble. It's completely asinine!"

The old Headmaster sighed before he spoke softly. "Glynda, when you agreed to work with me to run this school, do you remember what you promised to do?"

"To point out the incongruities and flaws in your decisions?"

"Yes, but to also trust in my ability to make certain decisions. I've been alive for nearly a millennia, Glynda. I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing."

She simply scoffed and made her way to the now open elevator. Glynda briefly stopped and turned to face her old friend and teacher. "I did. But recently Ozpin, your mistakes are becoming harder and harder to ignore. Sometimes you're as bad as Leo and James, you know that?"

Ozpin kept silent as his closest friend left the tallest tower of Beacon before he turned to face the vast expanse of Vale and spoke quietly to himself. "I know. I only ask that you continue to tolerate my mistakes until I can fix them."

* * *

 **[Emerald Forest, Outskirts; 18:50]**

As the loud thrum of the Bullhead's engines filled their senses, Naruto could see the excitement in his previously unacquainted eyes - hidden by his glasses as they were.

"Professor Port, if I may ask a question?"

"Yes, my youthful companion? What is that you need?"

"Headmaster Ozpin stated that I was to assist in capturing live Grimm specimens."

"Yes, that is correct."

"Though I'm not sure it is my place to ask, how are we to do that?"

Naruto could see Port's thick eyebrows raise out from behind his circular glasses before he burst out in a roar of laughter. "Of course, my dearest apologies, young Naruto. I had forgotten to inform you about the plan. I've simply been too excited about getting to work alongside someone as young as yourself and perhaps pass on this tradition and knowledge!"

"Of hunting Grimm?"

"Not quite. Tracking and trapping Grimm. Most Huntsmen and Huntresses nowadays are woefully unaware of how to track the beasts outside of the inevitable trail of destruction they leave in their wake. But few understand how to cow or follow them."

"But aren't the Grimm devoid of anything that could make them understandable, save that they are attracted to negative emotions?"

"Aha, a common misconception! The Grimm are far more complex than that, and as opposed to what many 'leading experts' say, the beasts to possess their own biology, with guts and viscera and everything! Think of them as hyper-aggressive animals and monsters, solely bent on destroying whatever isn't one of them - though they do often fight amongst one another."

"You're saying that they can be shepherded?"

"No, not quite."

Naruto tapped his chin in thought for a moment, pondering his professor's words. "You're saying that they can be deceived, the same way one can deceive an animal?"

Port shot up like a bullet, "Yes, precisely!"

"Ah, I see. Given this information, I would suppose that you plan to cage one up and take it back to Beacon?"

His grandfatherly laugh returned as Port patted Naruto's shoulder. "Yes, you're on the right track, my young friend! We'll need to draw them out first and then isolate one from its group."

Before either could continue, a red light on the interior of the Bullhead deactivated, and a green light shone in its place. The intercom came on, and the pilot spoke up, "We land in one minute!"

"So let's go ahead and get started with part one!"

"You said to draw them out, yes?"

"Correct."

"Do you intend on using negative emotions to lure them out into the open?"

Port had already pulled out a premade cloth cartridge that looked to be filled with dust-powder and iron pellets. Before he responded, he bit the top part of the bag and poured a little bit of the glowing powder into the blunderbuss' pan.

"Indeed I do. Which is what you're here for. Now, tell me about what that whole fight was about."

"There was an issue between Jaune Arc and myself. He insulted me, and I decided to take action."

"Yes, and what about you did he insult?" He asked as he poured the pellets and dust-powder into the barrel, and driving it down with his ramrod.

Naruto opened his semblance and wrenched a long pike that totaled about six feet. "He insulted my honor! Called me a damned coward and a weakling he did. And that whoreson did it right in front of my kin no less! The nerve of some nobles, I tell you!"

"Yes, and how did that make you feel?"

The green light flashed thrice as they felt the Bullhead descend and land on the ground. "Alright boys, shoot that flare and I'll be back to pick you two up!" They nodded as they dismounted the VTOL, and stepped onto the green grass of forest's outskirts.

"I felt like he spat right in my face, and the faces of my sisters with those poisonous words of his. I should have punched him square in the teeth and given him a black eye!" Anger was now visible on Naruto's face as his hatred for Jaune and, though unspoken, the rest of the House of Arc began to resurface.

Port held up one of his stout arms to stop Naruto as crimson eyes were becoming more and more visible in the dark shroud of the forests. "That'll be all my boy. Now the true test of skill begins! Huzzah! To arms!" He yelled out as he fired his blunderbuss into the trees, killing off a few Grimm.

"Indeed, to arms."

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, 06:45; West Wing]**

Port stood outside of the academy's storage hall, pondering at how to approach his current conundrum. The young Naruto was likely preparing for his day's classes, and Port didn't think it would be wholly necessary to bother him. However, the issue of trying to drag a rabid Boarbatusk through the halls - alone no less - could prove to be difficult. Oobleck had always been there to help him but wasn't here today.

"Hmmm. This could be an issue. I've got to use my head and think. Mmmm…"

As he stood there trying to figure out how to proceed, a team of students practically snuck up behind him. Then again, a Goliath could just as easily have walked in front of him without Port noticing. Though he was an exceptional Huntsman, he could be as blind as a bat and deaf as a cuttlefish when he was focused on a problem.

"Hey Professor Port, how are you this morning?" The rather quiet Velvet greeted.

"Mmmm. Hrrmmm. Mmmmh."

When Port didn't make any noticeable response, just standing there rubbing his chin and twirling his mustache, Coco spoke up much louder for her teammate. "Mister Port!"

"Hmm. Huh? O-oh my! Pardon me, I was absorbed in thought. What can I do for you young ones, or are you here to listen to more of my tales of glory and gallantry?"

They all seemed to chuckle nervously at the thought of that, even the stoic and silent Fox rubbed the back of his neck at the idea of listening to more of his fantastical stories. "No, no Professor, we were just walking out of the cafeteria."

"Ah, I see. Well then, I hope you all have an excellent day!" He seemed to revert back to his old self, staring intensely into the storage hall and fondling his facial hair.

Team CFVY shared a look with one another as Coco tapped his shoulder to regain his attention. "Actually Professor, you look like you could use some help."

"No, no, not at all! I have everything under control, my dear!"

Velvet spoke up this time. "Are you sure, Professor? You look like you really need some help here."

There was some kind of innocence imbued into her voice that made Port want to forsake his pride and accept aid from his students. But he salvaged what he could and held his ground. "No, no. I'll be fine. Thank you though! I do appreciate good and honest students such as yourselves."

Again, Team CFVY shared a look before they started to walk off down the hall.

"Alrighty, what time is it? Oh, blast…" His eyes practically bulged out of his glasses as he saw the time. Six fifty-three. He had at best, seven minutes before classes started. Panicked, he searched frantically for some way to do this by himself when he saw the team of second-years about to round the corridor at the end of the hall.

 _My pride be damned!_

"Excuse me, my young students!" They instantly stopped at the sound of his voice and turned around to face the pot-bellied professor.

"It seems I require some assistance, with such little time to spare no less. Could I count on your aid in getting this cage to my classroom?"

Team CFVY all seemed to smile warmly. No matter how boring he could be, Professor Port had always been the grandfather of Beacon Academy.

* * *

"Alright, gently… gently now." Three members of Team CFVY and Port himself had managed to carry the caged Boarbatusk across Beacon's hall into his room and were now in the process of rotating themselves to set the iron prison down.

Though there were many words to describe how the group of five set the cage down, gently was certainly not one of them.

"Yatsuhashi, hold that gate firm, don't let the beast pry its way out! And Velvet, please hand me that thick black cloth over on that hook!"

They quickly bolted the cage down into the floor, locking it into place, and sealing the gate shut with additional mechanisms. As the black cloak that Port demanded came into his hands, he threw it over the cage, covering in a thick veil of darkness. These small details were a necessity when handling Grimm to pacify them.

With their task complete, Port wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over to the group of students. He checked his watch and saw the time, six fifty-seven. "Done and with plenty of time to spare. Thank you, my young aids! Though I'm sure with a little more time I could've figured out myself, your assistance is no less appreciated!"

Coco spoke up for the rest of her team. "Of course Professor, it's no problem at all." She glanced once more at the shrouded cage before she made an inquiry. "Say, is that cage for the freshman class?"

"Indeed it is Miss Adel how perceptive of you!"

"Didn't you always say that you needed an assistant for handling the live Grimm with freshmen? Especially after that one incident with -."

She was suddenly cut off as Port's memory jolted to life. "Ah yes! After that incident where all those children got scared at the live Ursa in the classroom! O-ho, that was quite the experience, I tell you!"

"You have told us, Professor. At least a dozen times in fact."

"Hmm. Good times. But yes, to answer your question, I am in need of an assistant for my freshmen classes as past experience has taught me that they never seem to retain information. Perhaps a fellow youth could help them understand my lectures?"

Coco's coffee-colored eyes glowed warmly beneath her sunglasses. "I would think so, Professor."

"Speaking of, might I ask if you could help me with such a task? There'd be extra credit involved should you do so."

A warm smile proceeded to match her eyes. "Sure thing Professor, I'd be happy to help out."

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"

"You guys go ahead and head back to the dorms until our next class starts."

Yatsuhashi and Fox nodded at their leader's casual orders while Velvet looked over with a small smile. "Are you sure Coco? You won't get too bored sitting in a classroom will you?"

"Course Bun, I'll be fine. More importantly, the three of you will be fine without me for a couple of hours."

The rabbit Faunus nodded before the rest of Coco's team left the room. There was a thick fog of silence that reigned over the place as Port lounged in his seat at the center of the classroom, tempted to plant his feet on the desk until his class arrived.

"So Miss Adel, did I ever tell you about the time -"

Fortunately for Coco's sake, the first bell tolled loud and rang throughout the campus grounds, interrupting the Professor's storytelling.

"Oh my, it seems class is about to begin. Perhaps I'll tell you another time then."

"Sure, Professor."

As Port watched his class trickle into the room, in ones and twos, and the occasional full team, he watched as his new assistant began speaking to one freshman in particular. The very first student to enter the class and his nighttime aid, Naruto. As they conversed, she pulled out a rather impressive stack of lien in front of him as he smiled politely and laughed in response. Likely betting money from the fight the previous day.

Suddenly Coco grabbed his cheeks and pulled him into a deep kiss. The boy looked shocked, to say the least, and his eyes simultaneously widened and froze solid. And unless Port's eyes deceived him, then there seemed to be some tongue action involved as well. As she withdrew from the kiss, she slapped his shoulder and continued their conversation as though nothing happened, likely aware and amused by the scarlet blush and confused look on her younger friend.

 _Only fifteen and the ladies are already flocking to him! Hah, the charisma of youth. Reminds me when I was a young lad his age. Back in the good 'ol days._

He sighed to himself as he looked down. A frown began to form on his face as he placed a hand over his pot belly and rubbed the other through his whitening hair.

 _Huntsman or not, Father Time hasn't spared me of its withering effects, has it?_

He spun around in his chair until he faced the wall and looked up at the coat of arms and weaponry that hung above the whiteboards. His grandfather and father's Zweihänders shined proudly against the Port family's gallant banner of burgundy and gold.

 _Papa always wanted me to take up the proficiency of the greatsword, and yet here I am. Wielding a blunderbuss with some blades attached to it. Ha! Grandpapa would have called me a sissy just for holding a gun._

Port smiled fondly at the thought of his forefathers, ever kind and skillful, they were his idols and models in life. As he looked back, he could only wonder how he managed to fall so far from the tree over time.

 _What was it that he always said? 'Only those cowards from Atlas use their newfangled rifles, but us hardy folk of Mantle bear the arms of a true warrior: the Zweihänder!' Haha! Ah, I miss him dearly… thought if I'm honest with myself, I miss them both. Maybe they could have taught these children better than I could have._

He gazed sorrowfully at the coat of arms, unaware that everyone's attention was planted on him and his lack of movement.

"Uh, Professor Port? Is everything alright?"

"Hrmmm...hm? Oh yes, everything is quite alright my dear. Did you need something?"

"Class has begun, sir."

"Oh, my dearest apologies everyone. Let us begin with introductions, yes? My name is Professor Peter Port, and I will be your teacher for the next two-to-three years. Now that that's out of the way, we shall dive into the expansive and diverse world of the Creatures Grimm. Let's start with the Boarbatusk…"

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, 13:05; Eastern Wing]**

As Naruto trotted along the tile floor, his stomach filled to optimal capacity with a delicious lunch, he felt half tempted to take a nap. An opinion that was shared by many of his colleagues as they made their way to Professor Peach's classroom, who not a single one of them had seen before.

A few of the second years - and by a few, that meant only Coco - had told him that she was a muscular brute of a woman, with fiery red hair and a mouth full of sharpened teeth. Other sophomores - also Coco - had said that she was a frail and sickly looking woman, too gentle to hurt a fly.

As his team fell in tow behind him as per usual, he felt something move out of his field of vision, and tap his left side. When he turned, and no one was there, and he could already hear the childish giggling of Schrödinger to his right. "Yes, very funny."

The shorter cat Faunus laughed into her pristine white gloves before she spoke. "Ja? Are you sure zhat's zhe only sing zhat is vunny?" Schrödinger pointed out and over to his left as she finished.

He cocked an eyebrow up and turned back around and suddenly saw Hassan there - the Vacuoan cur - taunting him by puckering his lips out. "Come, give us a kiss, Naruto!"

Naruto jumped back in surprise, "Gah! What in the Bloody-handed God are you doing here?"

"Simply moving ahead of your sisters and bothering you. Just like back in Sanctum, eh Erika?"

"Ja, ja! Poor Naruto allvays falling for our tricks and traps!" Again, she broke out in more giggling at the chagrin of her captain.

"Damn you all to hell. Why do I even tolerate you? Bah, let's just get to class before Ruby phases through the walls, or Yang rips open the ceiling…"

"Now, now, little Namikaze, zhere's never an end to this hell!" Schrödinger laughed out as she and Hassan followed close behind.

Naruto made for a brisk pace as he tried to keep his composure while creating some distance. As he reached the door and quickly pulled it open, he rushed inside and nearly slammed the door on his 'compatriots,' though perhaps tormentors was a better description.

He stopped himself when he saw the teacher writing the lesson plan onto the whiteboard. It seems Coco's second description of her was most accurate, as her pale skin practically glowed on her tall frame against the shine of the ceiling lights. When she turned and looked at her newest student, her sickly red eyes seemed to brighten in happiness.

"Good afternoon, young man. Would you mind taking a seat as I finish up the board? It'll be a few minutes before everyone gets to class so you can relax on your scroll if you wish or read a book if you have one."

Her smile was unbelievably gentle and peaceful, like a mother watching over her sleeping newborn. As the rest of his team and friends entered the room, he motioned for their silence and pointed to the teacher's sickly presence. Most either nodded or shrugged in response, and remained quiet nonetheless.

Instead of doing what she suggested, he took the time to analyze his new teacher. Her orangish-red hair was long and slightly disheveled, matching her rather tired and haggard appearance. Her skin was immaculate, however, and carried the gorgeous complexion of many East Mistralian models with it. To match her sickly look, there were many water bottles - filled and emptied, small and large - scattered out wildly among her desk and the nearby floor.

Wherever this muscular brute of a woman that Coco spoke earlier about was nowhere to be seen, and at this point, was more likely a ploy to rouse some fear in Naruto and the other freshmen.

When the belfries outside tolled, she set her writing utensils down and turned to face her now filled classroom. "Good afternoon my lovely class." She reached over and grabbed a bottle of water before she chugged the entire thing down in one go.

"Ahh… Now then, my name is Professor Chikara Akama, and today we'll be discussing the awesome world of science!"

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, West Wing; 17:45]**

"Will that be all, Professor Port?"

"Aha! Thank you for your assistance, and yes my young squire! You're free to go now."

Naruto bowed politely to his teacher. "Thank you, have a good night Professor."

"And you do the same, Naruto."

As the two parted ways, Naruto stumbled into a rather unexpected person. Almost towering above him was the stern figure of Professor Glynda, her green eyes piercing his existence like a pair of jade swords. The moment she realized who it was that stumbled into her, they softened and glowed warmly like brilliant emeralds in the light of the sun.

Naruto's instincts of coming into contact with a superior came in - no doubt drilled into him by his grandmother - as he bowed sincerely to his teacher. "My apologies Miss Goodwitch, I didn't see you there."

She gently patted his head before she lifted his chin to establish eye contact. "Oh Naruto, no need for formality here. You and your sisters know that. Once classes are over you can address me as your aunt." He smiled gently at her words and nodded.

"Ah, thank you. Aunt Glynda."

She too smiled - a rare sight for anyone outside of her family - warmly and held firmly onto his shoulder. "Now then, walk with me. I wanted to teach you something in the combat arena."

As the two made their way down the hallway, Glynda broke the silence. "So Naruto, how are your classes going?"

"Very well."

"Now then, is there any teacher you like in particular?"

"Professor Port and you of course."

"Yes, everyone seems to love Peter and his grandfatherly wisdom. But you aren't just saying my name to get in my good graces are you?" She jested to him, her mirthful smile growing warmer and warmer.

Naruto held his hands up in defense. "No, no. Of course not. I've always been in your good graces haven't I?"

"Well, except the occasional fight you get in, yes. I'm sure you know how much I smother you and your sisters in affection."

"Indeed I do."

"Speaking of fights…"

Naruto cringed up as his eyes narrowed even more at the thought of his recent incident. "Ah yes, about that."

"Would you be interested in explaining to me why you keep getting into trouble?"

"Surely, we both know the answer to that."

"True, but I'd like to hear your explanation."

He huffed as they turned past the corridor. "The rat insulted my honor, I could not allow it."

"You know that violence is not the proper response to an insult." Glynda chided.

"Of course. But he is different." His eyes hardened like steel as he balled his hands into fists. "Not only is he a noble who should understand what happens when you dishonor another highborn, but he is an Arc, committer of atrocities and defiler of my kin."

As the doors to the West Wing swung open and revealed an ebony sky littered with white and blue stars, Glynda spoke one word.

"Half."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Half of your kin. Don't tell me you've forgotten of us while you lived with your grandparents."

His expression softened at her words and his shoulders slumped down in regret. "No. I haven't. I could never forget my family."

They stopped right outside the entrance to the Main Hall, and as Glynda turned to face Naruto, she tightly gripped his shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"Then please, Naruto. Remember that everything you do reflects on all of us. Not just your Uzumaki blood."

"I know, and I'm sorry. That came to me too late after I challenged Arc to a fight, and by that point, I was honor-bound to follow through with it."

Glynda unlocked the doors to the Main Hall, and the two made their way onwards to the miniature colosseum.

She smirked and gave a quiet giggle before she spoke back up. "You know, your father used to be the exact same way when he was your age."

"Truly?"

She nodded. "Truly. He used to get in fights whenever someone made fun of him, he was honestly a bit of a bully. Though now that I think of it, you might be a lot better behaved than he was."

Naruto chuckled at the thought of that, the reserved and polite head of the Namikaze household being a schoolyard bully at Beacon. "Is that so?"

As they reached the twin doors leading to Beacon Academy's combat arena, Glynda pulled ahead, once again unlocking the doors and revealing that she had intended to bring him here.

Without even turning to look at the extensive collection of dust crystals and training equipment, the witch responded to Naruto. "Well for starters, you only go after people that you believe should already be aware of how the rules of aristocracy work. At least, you do now."

"Second, you weren't taking their lunch money or breaking their equipment."

"Gods above, father was a real Champion of the Trickster God wasn't he?"

"Yes, yes he was. Then he met your mother, and she thankfully managed to straighten him out."

"You mean she beat him into submission?"

"To put it bluntly, yes. He thought it would be a good idea to throw some food at her and she punched him square in the nose!"

The two shared a laugh at their kin's past misfortunes. They all loved Minato dearly, but at times he could make an ass of himself. Especially when he was still attending the academy.

There was a solid minute or so of silence before it was again Glynda that broke it. "But he was like that because he was angry at the world, of being in the shadow of our parents, and because he was just plain spoiled."

"So please, tell me." She turned on her heels to stare down at Naruto, but again, her eyes were warm and comforting. "Why are you so angry?"

For a minute, Naruto stood there and formulated his words and pondered whether he could tell why. In his heart, he was aware that she already knew why. In fact, he was confident that everyone in his family knew. Except maybe Tsuki, she was always a bit on the slow side of things.

"Because an attack on our family's honor is only a step away from an attack on our family. I've allowed that to happen once before. I will not allow it to happen again." His hands glowed a painful white as they tightened against his bones.

"Oh, Naruto…" Fast as lightning, Glynda shot forward and wrapped Naruto in a tight maternal hug and brought his head to rest against her shoulder. "It's okay..."

"Gods above, I miss him." She could hear him quietly sobbing into her cloak before he moaned lamentingly. "I just sat there in the corner and watched."

When she pulled him back, she got a good look at his now red eyes and the tears that seethed out of them. Of all the people Glynda knew in her life, few matched the pride and stubbornness of Naruto - though his grandparents were certainly the other few - but within a few minutes, he had been brought to tears.

It was mortifying to watch.

"Naruto, listen to me. There was nothing you could do. He only ever wanted to protect you from the day you were born, and was committed to that cause."

He choked a little but said nothing as she gently wiped away his tears. "Don't dishonor him by crying for him. Instead," She dropped down to a knee as she delicately cupped his hands together. "Honor his memory by remembering what and who he died for: you."

Naruto nodded silently as he felt his legs give away and held his aunt even tighter. She lovingly caressed his scalp with her hand and whispered sweet nothings into his ear.

" _We all love you, Naruto. We will always be with you."_

"I will…"

Glynda was broken out of her mantra as she withdrew to get a look at her nephew. "I will always honor the name of Jiraiya, the Gallant." Naruto pulled himself together as he clenched his hand tightly around hers.

Despite the lack of kinship by blood, Naruto had always reminded her so much of her former husband. They were a pair of cheerful, prideful, ambitious fools. But they were her fools.

They would always be her fools.

When she looked down, she saw the tear stains on her pant legs and reached up to touch her own face. She too had started to cry. Glynda couldn't help but laugh at how quickly the tables had turned in the situation. Any longer and the comforter would soon become the comforted.

"Aunt Glynda?"

Broken from her musings, her maternal viridescent eyes stared back into a sea of sapphire and emerald. "Yes, dear?"

"Thank you. For everything, that is."

She merely smiled and pulled him in for a kiss on the forehead. "No need to thank me. It's my duty as your aunt to make sure you come back to your parents safe and sound."

"Of course…"

Gently slapping his cheek, she stood up and offered her hand to her nephew. Pulling himself up with the assistance of his aunt, he wiped the few remaining tears that fogged up his glasses and stained his face.

"Now then, shall we begin with our lesson in dust training?"

* * *

 **[Beacon Academy, Team NMBS Dormitory; 21:10]**

"Well, well Naruto, I think you've been out past curfew!" Mercury called out the very moment Naruto entered the room.

The knight quietly sighed in response. "Yes, yes. Very humorous. Could you perhaps shut up so I can go about my routine?"

"Yeah. Sure thing, ladykiller."

 _Ladykiller, ay?_

Word had spread quickly of his kiss with Coco - although no one else was in the room except for her and Port, so she likely told everyone else about it. Or it may have been the lipstick that partially stained his lips.

Who knew though, it was a 'mystery.'

But every freshman and sophomore was now aware of it. Including Xiao Long and Shiro, who at lunch had been sure to tease and torment him. Even the usually silent Hassan had seemingly come out of hiding to fuck with Naruto. As amazing as his first was, the aftermath was nowhere near as pleasant or desired. Likewise, Boudicea and Weiss had begun to look at him oddly after they caught wind of his encounter with Coco.

Naruto gave a short huff as he sat down at the foot of his bed and withdrew his spear from the portal. After he dragged the grindstone that he and Boudicea managed to put together the night before, he began to grind out the blunted edges of his pike.

After several minutes had passed and the area surrounding the tip of the spear was sharp enough to trigger his aura, he allowed it to slip back into his semblance. He got up and moved the grindstone back to its original position, and instead opted to grab a cloth along with some polishing chemicals. For an hour he worked quietly as he got into every nook and cranny of his armor and it shined like silver coins in the sunlight.

With his work done, he got up went to the bathroom and proceeded to clean himself up. With a shower and some toothpaste, he was cleaned and about ready to collapse onto the floor. After a quick prayer to the Gods at the foot of his bed, he adjusted his nightcap and dove into his sheets. Darkness and fatigue quickly overtook him.

* * *

 **[Unknown]**

Lights glowed around Naruto's eyes as he saw a flurry of images rush by him.

Memories of simpler times, when he and his siblings could enjoy the peace of their childhood, became the common theme among them.

He caught sight of the three of them playfully rolling on greener pastures, laughing without a care in the world. Another showed a young Shiro teaching an even younger Naruto how to read under a starry sky. And another showed the siblings all sitting down at a table as their mother came in with a massive birthday cake for the twins. The happiness on their faces lit up the room and made even their sour grandparents crack a smile.

More memories came. It was an open grass plain, surrounded by mountains and to the side were an elderly man and woman, both healthy and strong. And in the background, Naruto could hear the soft whinnying of horses.

 _Ah yes, this is when Grandmother first taught us how to ride horses… those were great times._

Where Naruto gripped the reins tightly and carefully, sure to follow every order of his grandmother, Tsuki playfully tugged at the horse who refused to budge, merely eating the green stalks that poked out of the ground.

It changed again as he stood out on a large illustriously built firing range, holding a bolt-rifle next to his grandfather and mentor, Grungni. His grandfather held an old Atlesian model created initially during the great war, the gewehr, his grandmother's favorite rifle to be specific. On the other hand, Master Grungni was wielding a bronze rifle as he began to instigate arguments between the two of them.

He recalled that the night before she had goaded him into wanting to shoot his first gun - or crossbow in Grungni's case - at the age of twelve. Prodded or not, it was a pleasant experience nonetheless.

 _I remember that day. Loved getting to fire the gun, but Master Grungni made his point with the 'superiority of the bolt thrower.'_

The image returned to the grassy field with horses, though this time it was another memory. He and his father were dressed head to toe in plate armor, while the former looked entirely in his element the latter looked uncomfortable and nervous.

Once again his grandparents had managed to goad someone for their amusement, though this time it was his father. Unrelenting in their challenges, they managed to get him in a full suit of armor and ready for a joust with Naruto. Soon enough the two charged at one another, and his father looked like he was about to fall off his horse.

While Minato's lance bounced off of his son's shield, Naruto's lance struck true and slammed right into his father's chest knocking him right off the horse. As he jumped off his horse to go to his father's aid, he could see him laughing as he lay there in the mud.

 _Ah yes, the joust. Grandmother and grandfather were laughing so hard at father after I knocked him off, I thought it seemed crueler than usual, but it was a fun time._

One final time, the scene shifted to that of a shadowy room, filled only by the pale light of the fractured moon above. In the center bed, sat a young Naruto, no older than ten with terror etched onto his face, snuggled deep into the embrace of a twelve-year-old Shiro.

" _The sun on the meadow is summery warm,_

 _The stag in the forest runs free._

 _But gather together to greet the storm,_

 _Tomorrow belongs to me."_

As Shiro whispered her lullaby into Naruto's ear, he could feel himself falling into a deeper and deeper state of relaxation.

" _The branch on the Linden is leafy and green,_

 _The rage has deserted the sea._

 _But somewhere a glory awaits unseen,_

 _Tomorrow belongs to me."_

Shiro had begun to comb her hands through Naruto's head, the same way Glynda had in the combat arena just hours prior.

" _The babe in his cradle is closing his eyes,_

 _The blossom embraces the bee._

 _But soon, says a whisper;_

 _Arise, arise, tomorrow belongs to me."_

Though not wholly asleep, Naruto began to mumble-whisper alongside his sister's lullaby, the lyrics having been drilled into his memory for years on end.

" _Oh Fatherland, Fatherland_

 _Show us the sign_

 _Your children have waited to see._

 _The morning will come_

 _When the world is mine."_

" _Tomorrow belongs,_

 _Tomorrow belongs,_

 _Tomorrow belongs to me!"_

And with that, Naruto's memories melted into darkness as he found comfort in the days of the past, unwilling to think of the present or future for the time being.

* * *

 **Well this was fun. Got to work on some relatively unexplored characters from canon, develop some relationships, etc. Also, his grandmother's rank, Polkovynk corresponds to the Imperial Russian/Ukrainian rank of Colonel for the Cossacks. Again, big thanks to Milennial and Alvor the Warhawk for helping to beta and toss around ideas for the story.**

 **Anyways, more to come in the months ahead, so enjoy.**


End file.
